Sibling Team
by theblindwriter95
Summary: A rewrite of Sibling Bond. When siblings team up through bad and times well their bound becomes stronger. Requests are opened.
1. A garden of memories

Sibling Team

Summary: A rewrite of Sibling Bond. When siblings team up through bad and good times well their bound becomes stronger. Requests are opened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the first.

Chapter One: A garden of memories

Setting: After Tea for too many.

Siblings: Amber and Sofia.

"Sofia can I talk to you for a minute?" Amber asked once the tea party was over with.

"Sure Amber," Sofia replied with a smile. "What is it?"

"Sofia this used to be my birth mother's garden before she got sick," Amber explained with shaking hands. "We used to have so much fun here." She smiled a little, fanning herself. "I mean being back here in the garden made me feel look like my old Mom was enjoy the tea party too. And I know how to make everyone forget about your garden so it can be yours Sofia."

"Thanks Amber but you don't need too," Sofia stated with a small laugh.

"What do you mean no? We're sisters remember?" Amber reminded Sofia with a smile. "B-Besides you're like what my birth mother was."

"I am?" Sofia asked in surprise.

The blonde in front of her was tearing up which shocked Sofia a little bit on account of Amber rarely being a crier but instead a little more dramatic.

"Amber what was your birth mother like?" Sofia asked with a smile before being confused And why are you saying I'm like her anyways?"

"Sofia sit down!" Amber beckoned before blushing softly. "Please?"

Sofia sat down in the grass, taking off her shoes while the grass began to take her toes.

She had to know why Amber thought of her to be a younger version of her birth mother but why?

"Sofia when you first came to to the castle, I saw you as a village girl who wasn't a princess but when I saw the mad look in your eyes after our dance class, I saw Mom in your eyes looking just as disappointed at what I had done,"Amber confessed, feeling guilt at what she had done.

"Anything else?" Sofia wondered with a smile.

Amber chuckled a little bit. "No Sofia but Mom loved small parties and this garden too

Amber started to tear up at the memories while Sofia gently patted her back. She knew what it was like to had lost a parent before letting Amber go.

"Amber you don't mind if I do something to you?" Sofia asked in embarrassment.

"Do what?" Amber wondered in surprise.

"Hug you?" Sofia wondered with a smile.

"Sofia you can hug me at anytime!" Amber chuckled with a smile.

"Thanks Amber!" Sofia cheered as the two sisters hugged.

"Sofia we better fished cleaning up the garden," Amber reminded Sofia as they had let go, wanting not to be in trouble.

Sofia nodded softly as she picked up and folded the blanket that had been used for the tea party while Amber looked at her feet, looking guilty.

Guilty for driving Sofia into doing what she wanted instead of letting her decide on her own.

Amber grabbed the cups and followed Sofia out.

"I have to tell Miss Flora what I did on Monday," Amber muttered to herself before she gulped. "Hopefully she won't be mad."


	2. Sofia tells the truth

Chapter Two: Sofia tells the truth

Siblings: Sofia and Amber.

Setting: After Dads and Daughters day.

How could Sofia sleep when knowing that her birth father was back in the kingdom again?

Well not exactly. More like in her dreams, haunting her for she could only see him and the water, herself safe in the boat and him long gone.

"Daddy!" Sofia yelled before breathing heavily Whoa! That was an intense dream!"

But though she was safe in the castle, Sofia couldn't help but weep as Amber gently touched her shoulder.

"W-What are you doing here Amber?" Sofia asked with a sob.

"I just came to see why you were moving around in bed," Amber answered in concern.

"Oh?" Sofia asked before shaking her head. "That's nothing Amber."

"Nothing? Sofia you're were yelling about a boat!" Amber yelled before calming herself down.

"What about your beauty sleep?" Sofia asked, knowing how important sleep was to the blonde.

"That doesn't matter during summer time but what about the boat you were on?" Amber asked with a smile.

"Okay Amber before I became a princess Mom would take me boating after my dad had left us for another woman," Sofia lied, biting her lip.

"He left you? But what about the boat?" Amber wondered in surprise.

"Boating was just a pastime of mine is all," Sofia explained with a chuckle.

"So boating is just like sighting?" Amber wondered with confusion.

"Sort of. It's like how you like the stars Amber," Sofia admitted with a chuckle before tears filled her eyes. "I just miss him and I lied about him leaving us. He died on our boat! He died!"

"Died? How can a father died on a boat with his daughter?" Amber asked in shock. "I mean how did you row back home by yourself Sofia? Does Mom know that your father passed on the boat?"

"I never told Mom what happened Amber. And I can't tell her," Sofia muttered with a sniff.

"Sofia you have too. But don't worry I'll be with you," Amber told her, taking her hand.

"Okay Amber thanks. Let's go and get this over with," Sofia said as Amber want with her to their parents room.

"Mother, Daddy you awake?" Amber asked, gently shaking her parents.

"Amber what is it?" Miranda asked with a yawn.

"Mom I have to tell you something," Sofia said softly, biting her lip.

"Sofia? What is it sweetheart? What's wrong?" Miranda asked in concern.

"Okay Daddy didn't go on the trip like I told you he did," Sofia explained with a trembling lip. "He passed away on the boat when we were fishing."

"Sofia why didn't you tell me before?" Miranda asked in shock.

"Because I was scared," Sofia confessed as tears filled her eyes. "I was scared that you would get upset with me."

"Sofia next time something like this happens, you have to tell me that very same day!" Miranda lightly scolded, wiping away her tears. "Alright?"

"I know but I saw how busy you were in the shop and I didn't want to made you sad and worried," Sofia confessed with a whimper.

"Sofia is that why you ran off during the Dad and daughters sing along yesterday?" Roland wondered in surprise.

"Yes Dad," Sofia replied softly. "I didn't want to start singing that know you're only my step father."

Roland sighed, taking Sofia in his arms, stroking her hair. "Sofia it's like I told you earlier, I love you as my daughter because it don't matter if I was your real Dad or not I love you now and forever."

Sofia started sobbing softly as Amber hugged her, patting her back.

"Amber that's happy tears!" Sofia shouted with a laugh. "And thanks for sticking by me!"

"Sofia it's what sisters are for!" Amber laughed back, taking her hand.

The sisters hugged before leaving the room as Sofia yawned, falling asleep on Amber's bedroom floor.


	3. Three princesses and two babies

Chapter Three: Three princesses and two babies

Siblings: Nell, Sabrina, and Madeline. Amber and Sofia.

Setting: A few weeks after Memorial Day.

"Queen Miranda have you seen Sabrina and Madeline anywheres?" Nell asked the afternoon after the Memorial Day picnic with a smile. "It's time for our outing in the village."

"They're in the playroom with Sofia," Miranda explained with a smile. "Practicing for the baby they said."

"The girls know that I love them!" Nell stressed with a sigh before smiling a little bit. "Thank you."

Lifting the skirt of her dress, Nell ran to the playroom to see Sabrina playing with a baby doll and Madeline being well Madeline.

"Baby book? Yuck! Rattle? Ew!" Madeline shouted, throwing out baby things out of a box.

"Sabrina what are you doing with a baby doll?" Nell asked, facing her sister with a blonde, blue eyed baby doll.

Sabrina giggled, looking up from the baby doll. "Practicing Nell!"

"Sabrina it's my turn to play with the dolly!" Madeline yelled as she stomped her feet.

"You're ruin her!" Sabrina braked, crossing her arms.

"No I won't!" Madeline pouted with a frown. "Sleepy Nell."

"Sleepy?" Nell asked in concern. "How long have you two been awake?"

Sabrina shrugged, biting her lip uneasily. "Um since um seven. Why?"

Nell chuckled, gently patting her head. " No wonder Madeline is getting sleepy now."

"No sleepy!" Madeline yelled with a frown. "I want the dolly that Sabrina is playing with Nell but she won't let me!"

"Someone is getting fussy now," Nell acknowledged with a smile laugh.

"No we are not Nell!" Sabrina pouted, stomping her feet in fury.

"Yes you are!" Nell chuckled, taking them by the arm as the three of them walked out of the playroom. "There. Now girls- Oh no! My voice."

"Oops. Sorry Nell for the little mistake," Sofia apologized, smiling uneasily.

Nell chuckled, not seeing an legitimate reason to be upset with the younger princess. "That's okay Sofia."

"What about the girls?" Sofia wondered with a smile, changing Nell's voice back to its original form.

"Well um you should see this," Nell suggested, hearing two cooing little voices.

"See what?" Sofia wondered before she gasped. "Uh oh. Babies." She looked at Nell with guilt filled eyes. "When I hit your voice the first time and changed it back, I must've changed them back into babies which will be good practice for you Nell."

"Practice?!" Nell asked, horrified as her now baby sisters looked at her with little locks of hair on their head.

Madeline began to perform a spit bubble while Sabrina tugged at Nell's dress.

"Ga?" Sabrina asked with a smile, pointing to Nell's hair.

"Yes Sabrina! Ga!" Nell chuckled with a smile as Madeline began crawl.

"No no. We don't do that!" Sofia scolded, giving Madeline to Nell.

"Goo!" Madeline giggled, pulling on Nell's hair.

"Ow! My hair isn't for pulling Madeline!" Nell yelled as Sabrina started to cry loudly.

"Um Nell either Sabrina is hungry or needs to be changed," Sofia muttered, covering her ears.

Nell sniffed the air before smiling softly.

"She's dry. That must mean you're hungry huh?" Nell asked Sabrina who giggled.

"Ga?" Sabrina asked, pointing to Nell's chest.

"Helen Genevieve what happened to Sabrina Marie and Madeline Elizabeth?" Bianca asked, seeing two little babies in the young teen's arms.

Nell smiled, trying to hide her sense of nervousness. "Now Bianca it's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?! They were five earlier!" Bianca yelled, crossing her arms before smiling a little. "Hello there little babies."

"Goo!" Madeline yelled as she pulled on Bianca's hair.

"Madeline! No! No! No hair pulling!" Nell scolded, taking Madeline's hands away.

Sabrina began to cry again before she was handed a bottle of milk, sucking on it as Madeline did another spit bubble.

"I save the milk just in case any babies come to the castle. If not I put it in a jug for anyone to use," Bianca explained, watching Sabrina suck on the bottle.

Nell smiled as she watched Sabrina suck on the bottle slowly. "Good thinking Bianca!"

"Helen Genevieve Baby Sabrina Maire and Baby Madeline Elizabeth will be good practice for you dear before your little one comes around," Bianca told the young teenage mother with a smile.

"Right as if Sofia didn't already remind me," Nell muttered with a blush on her cheeks.

"Goo! Goo!" Madeline yelled, playing with the buttons of Nell's blouse.

"No no Madeline. Buttons aren't for playing with," Nell muttered, taking Madeline's hands away from her blouse.

Madeline began to cry, turning red in the face as Nell patted her back like their mother used to do.

"Ga!" Sabrina giggled, kicking her legs as she pointed to Nell's skirt getting wet.

"Oh Madeline. What am I going to do with both babies?" Nell asked herself with a groan. "Let's go get you changed."

"Go to the nursery Helen Genevieve. You'll find everything you need there," Bianca suggested with a smile.

Nell thanked her before going into the nursery.

"Sabrina you play with these toys while I change Madeline," Nell said, handing Sabrina her, Sabrina and Madeline's baby toys that Bianca had given her for the nursery.

Sabrina crawled out of the nursery and to the sitting room.

"Another baby? Sofia where did this baby come from?" Amber asked as Sabrina saw more toys to play with and went after every toy she could find.

"Baby? No way!" Sofia yelled before she blushed. "I accidentally turned Sabrina and Madeline into babies Amber."

"That would explain the dress," Amber muttered before picking up a confused Sabrina. "I know! Let's give her a makeover!"

"You sure that's what she would want?" Sofia asked, seeing Sabrina still confused.

"It's better than playing in the sitting room," Amber muttered with a flip of her hair.

Sofia laughed, agreeing with the idea. "We can try it."

"Ga?" Sabrina asked, playing with her dress.

"Yes Sabrina. Makeover!" Amber cried with a giggle as Sabrina giggled. "She's got taste."

"Agreed," Sofia chuckled with a smile. "Sabrina do got taste for makeovers."

"I know! Come we can take Sabrina to my room and give the Makeover there!" Amber suggested with a laugh as Sabrina cooed.

"Sabrina? Oh where did she go?" Nell asked in a panic, looking around the nursery.

"Goo?" Madeline asked with a confused.

"What?" Nell asked before she chuckled. "Oh you heard Amber and Sofia."

"Goo!" Madeline giggled, kicking her legs in excitement.

"Amber, Sofia, what are you two doing with Sabrina?" Nell asked, coming into Amber's room.

"Just a little makeover," Sofia explained with a smile.

"Goo!" Madeline shouted upon seeing her twin.

"Oh you want a makeover too Madeline?" Amber asked with a chuckle. "Yes you do!" She turned to Sofia and Nell with a smile. "Man both girls have good tastes."

Madeline stared at Amber, feeling her hair being pulled as Sabrina tried to crawl away once her dress was off.

"Oh no Sabrina you are not crawling away," Nell chuckled, patting her head.

Sabrina pouted with crossed arms as Sofia began to dress her up.

"Ga! Ga! Ga!" Sabrina yelled with a growl, wanting to get down.

"Either she's fussy or the magic is wearing off," Nell muttered, gently picking Sabrina up. "I got you Sabrina. That a girl."

Sabrina settled down in Nell's arms as Amber smiled softly.

"Okay Madeline your turn," Amber said with a chuckle.

Madeline was confused as her dress was taken off, looking around the room for something to play with.

She stared at Sofia's amulet before starting to bite on it.

"Madeline no! My amulet isn't for biting!" Sofia scolded with a frown.

"Huh?" Madeline asked in confusion. "Sofa what's wrong?"

"Did the magic wear off?" Amber asked in disappointment.

"I think so Amber," Sofia muttered with a small smile.

"Well it was good practice while it lasted," Nell chuckled, seeing Sabrina asleep in her arms.

"Sabrina nap?" Madeline asked with yawn.

"It's naptime now Madeline," Nell explained with a chuckle. "Come on please."

Madeline yawned again, rubbing her eyes. "Coming Nell."

"Um Sofia why is Madeline wearing a diaper?" Amber asked in confusion as she saw Madeline walk withNell.

Sofia shrugged, laughing a little bit. "I think we've had enough trouble with magic today Amber."

Amber shook her head at the thought, wondering if she could turn Sabrina and Madeline back into babies before stopping herself.

"Maybe Sofia can be little next time," Amber muttered before joining her sister and brother in a game of dazzle ball.


	4. James babysits

Chapter Four: James babysits

Siblings: James, Sabrina and Madeline.

Setting: After chapter seven of Nell's unexpected surprise.

"Oh! Pretty!" Madeline cried with a giggle as she noticed Nell's dress. Her little hands feeling the fabric before seeing a zipper. "Bye dress!"

"Madeline!" Nell yelled in embarrassment. "What did you think you were doing?!"

"Playing," Madeline answered with another giggle. "Let me get a pull up."

"Oh Madeline," Nell sighed, feeling something soft and wet. "Great. She made me wet myself. Just what I needed today."

"Sorry Nell I just took my eyes away from Madeline for a moment to see what Sabrina was doing," James explained with an apology, seeing Nell embarrassed.

"James please!" Nell stressed in annoyance I need you to watch both Sabrina and Madeline tonight why me and Bobby Lee go to dinner with the Pickles in California tonight and where is Sabrina?"

"Got a pull up!" Madeline cried with a smile as she had Nell lay down. "Aw... Where did the soft fuzzy stuffs go?"

"Shaved them," Nell muttered with a groan as Sabrina showed up with a book in her hands.

Madeline pushed the pull up Okay Nell up!"

"Nell story time tonight!" Sabrina cried with a giggle.

"Sabrina Madeline please!" Nell scolded before clearing her throat. "James will be babysitting both of you."

"Him?!" Sabrina asked with a pout. "But why?"

"Yeah. Don't you love us no more?" Madeline asked, trying to get the pull up close to Nell's tummy.

"Girls I love you both very much but me and Bobby Lee have dinner planned with the Pickles tonight okay? Thanks for the new pull up Madeline beside these pull ups will be gone as soon as I get back into wearing my big girl underwear like I should," Nell chuckled before turning to James. "Okay James Sabrina and Madeline already had their bath last night."

"Just one bath a day?" James wondered in surprise.

"Oh! Pretty drawer!" Madeline cried, spilling out different types of bras and underwear before seeing a lace one. "What's this?"

"Must be Nell's big girl stuffs but oh a teddy!" Sabrina exclaimed with a giggle. "Look Madeline!"

"Sabrina Madeline please clean up this mess and this teddy isn't for cuddles thank you!" Nell screamed before turning to James with a smile. "Yes one bath a day with bubbles. Adding it saves a lot of time."

James nodded softly as Madeline and Sabrina began to clean up their mess before Sabrina slipped on one of Nell's sport bras.

Madeline giggled at her twin, trying on one for herself as it left Nell amused, kissing their cheeks.

"Be good girls and I want the bras put away before I get back from California. Remember James is in charge," Nell reminded her sisters with a smile, blowing them a kiss.

The girls began to cry as soon as Nell had left the room, try to tear at their pull ups before James stopped them.

"No tears. We're going to have fun," James assured them with a smile.

"How?" Madeline asked with a sniff.

"No fun with you boy!" Sabrina pouted, crossing her arms. "No! No! No!"

"Come with me! I'll show you two the playroom!" James offered with a smile.

The playroom immediately grabbed Sabrina and Madeline's attention, having them run with James down the hall.

"You do look cute James," Madeline admitted with a smile as they arrived to the playroom. "But not as cute as a baby dolly!"

Sabrina giggled before she sighed with a frown. "Um Madeline I don't see no baby dolly in this playroom."

"No baby dolly?" Madeline asked before spotting a princess doll. "Oh! Princess dolly! Give me!"

"You have to be good first Madeline," James explained with a chuckle.

"Why?" Madeline asked, trying to tear at Sabrina's pull up who did the same.

James sighed, slapping their hands away. "No pull up tearing for either of you!"

"Mean James!" Sabrina pouted with a frown. "No fun!"

"Mean James!" Madeline yelled with a frown. "Mean!"

"Sabrina Madeline please don't start up!" James scolded, crossing his arms.

"James need some help babysitting?" Sofia asked, coming into the room.

"Yes!" James pleaded as Sabrina and Madeline ripped off their pull ups.

"Free!" The girls yelled with giggles escaping from their lips. "Free!"

"Sabrina Madeline come with me and let's get you two some new pull ups," Sofia suggested, taking Sabrina's hand.

"No!" Sabrina yelled, pushing Sofia away. "We want to be free!"

"Yes free from pull ups with no Nell here to stop us!" Madeline giggled with a smile.

"Nell left me in charge so come on," James said as the girls groaned.

"Hey! A potty!" Madeline yelled as she started to go on the carpet.

"Oh! Let me try!" Sabrina yelled with a giggle.

"Nice going James, Sofia muttered, seeing Sabrina wet the carpet.

"Sabrina Marie and Madeline Elizabeth!" James scolded as the girls looked at him. "Let Sofia clean you and put some pull ups on both of you!"

Sabrina smiled, jumping up and down. "Yes James!"

"Okay Sofia I'm done!" Madeline giggled as she got off the carpet.

"Whoa! I can see that!" Sofia exclaimed, seeing their mess on the floor. "Come on let's get you two clean"

"I have to set some rules for Sabrina and Madeline tonight," James muttered, stepping over puddles.

"Good luck with that," Sofia chuckled as she took Madeline by the hand.

"Good thing we aren't cleaning up their potty accidents," James admitted with a smile. "Though I feel terrible for who does have to clean it. Unless the carpet is placed outside then no one will know."

"Know what James'?" Amber asked with a chuckle.

"Sabrina and Madeline had accidents on the carpet," Sofia explained as Madeline squirmed, seeing water from outside.

"Water bad! Water bad!" Madeline yelled with a growl.

Amber groaned in annoyance at Madeline's fear. "Madeline it's just rain. Calm down."

"No! Bad water bad! Water go away! Shoo! Leave me alone!" Madeline yelled, kicking the rain.

"Yes water leave my sister alone!" Sabrina shouted at the rain. "Go away! Don't want to see you water!"

"James what can we do with them?!" Amber asked with a hiss.

"Remember what Mom told us? About rain being tears?" James asked with a smile.

"Tears?" Madeline asked in confusion before she gasped. "Sabrina! Mommy and Daddy are crying!"

"Mommy Daddy no crying Nell is alright," Sabrina assured the rain with a kiss.

"Real smooth James. Now Sabrina and Madeline will think it's their birth parents crying," Sofia muttered with a sigh.

James blushed in embarrassment at his mistake. "Sorry Sof."

Sofia groaned in frustration, crossing her arms, her eyes gazing at James.

"I quit! You baby sit them!" Sofia yelled, running to her room as Madeline hugged the window.

"Madeline Sabrina please stop crying. It's just rain!" James shouted as he pointed outside "See?"

"No!" Sabrina yelled with crossed arms. "It's Mommy and Daddy crying and we're trying to hug them to make things better!"

"I think they have enough hugs," James chuckled with a smile. "Come on. Let's get you changed."

The girls waved goodbye to the rain, taking James by his hands, following him to the bathroom.

"Bubbles?" Madeline asked with a smile.

"No bubble bath tonight just a quick change then it's bedtime," James explained with a smile.

"No bed!" Sabrina whined with a pout.

"Yes we aren't sleepy!" Madeline yelled, kicking her legs. "No! No! No!"

"Wouldn't you make Nell sad that you weren't asleep?" James asked, hoping to trick them.

"Sad?" Madeline asked with a gulp. "No sad James!"

Sabrina groaned in annoyance, trying to calm her twin gone before she would have a fit. "Madeline James is just tricking us."

"No he's not! I don't want Nell sad!" Madeline screamed, pulling Sabrina by her hair.

"Hey! No fighting!" James yelled, getting Madeline's hand out of Sabrina's hair.

"You pulled my hair Madeline!" Sabrina yelled as she pulled at Madeline's hair.

"Sabrina Madeline bedtime. And no fighting!" James growled in annoyance.

"James please! Besides they're just like us," Amber chuckled, waving bubble bath in Madeline's face.

"Bubbles," Madeline muttered with a giggle as she got in the tub with Sabrina joining her.

"You forgot that bubble bath makes them sleepy didn't you?" Amber asked with a laugh. "If they don't have it then they're cranky."

"Amber Nell told me they had their bath last night," James recalled with a groan.

"I know but I've been giving Sabrina and Madeline their bubble bath each night," Amber explained with a smile.

""So you're watching out for Madeline?" James wondered, seeing Madeline in the water.

"She wants to play mermaid," Amber explained with a chuckle.

"A mermaid? whose. Amber how did you convince her to got into the water?" James wondered in surprise

"Cookies!" Madeline giggled, splashing James in the face.

"And practice," Sabrina muttered, splashing Madeline in the face.

James laughed at the bribing. "Okay cookies for each of you."

"And two stories!" Madeline yelled with a giggle.

"Take it or leave it!" Sabrina giggled before seeing Nell at the doorway. "Nell you're home!"

"Why do you got a boo boo?" Madeline asked with a frown. "Did some meanie push you?"

"More like allergic reaction to seafood," Bobby Lee muttered, taking Madeline out of the tub.

"Check on stories James because Nurse Madeline just got called into work!" Madeline yelled as she quickly put on her nightgown, taking her older sister by the hand. "Come on Nell! Into bed!"

"Madeline it's just a mild reaction nothing to worry about!" Nell chuckled with a smile. "But. I need to get you and Sabrina tested for any seafood reactions."

"So no more fish?" Sabrina asked with a pout.

"No. It's to make sure you're safe. Like I'm allergic to egg shells," James explained with a smile.

"So that's why we can't have eggs!" Madeline realized with a giggle.

James laughed, patting her head gently. "That's right. Madeline."

"But James eggs is in pancakes and ice cream!" Sabrina pouted with a frown.

"I never thought of that," James admitted with a blush on his cheeks.

"Don't scare him girls. Your sister nearly gave me a heart attack during our outing. Poor Mr. Pickles feels guilty for it though," Bobby Lee admitted as Madeline grabbed his hand. "What is it Madeline?"

"Where's Nell's boo boo?" Madeline asked with a smile.

"Bobby Lee it's gone!" Nell exclaimed with a laugh as she showed him her arm. "I'm back to myself! Look!"

"Helen thank goodness!" Bobby Lee yelled, hugging her close. "For sure we're getting Sabrina and Madeline tested because I don't need anymore scares like this!"


	5. Sleepover

Chapter Five: Sleepover

Setting: A week after chapter eight of Nell's unexpected surprise.

Siblings: Loretta, Sueanna, Patsy, Sabrina, and Madeline.

"Milly! Loretta stole my dolly!"

"I did not Sueanna!"

"Yes you did!"

Milly sighed, shaking her head as the wagon that was transporting the four girls pulled to the castle.

After a misunderstanding a week ago with their sister's tummy, Sabrina and Madeline were excited to meet girls their own age since Nell (with permission from Roland and Miranda) had invited the girls for a sleepover.

Milly was especially excited, being the first time since her sisters were born to get alone time.

But with Sueanna and Loretta arguing over a doll while Patsy slept, Milly was getting frustrated, taking the doll away.

"Hey! Give me my dolly back Mily!" Loretta yelled with a pout. "Right now!"

Sueanna giggled happily, holding out her hands. "Give the dolly to me."

"Loretta, Sueanna, you two know that the dolly is for your two new friends and I want you three to behave!" Milly scolded with crossed arms. "One fright or yelling at this sleepover and we are heading home! Do you understand?"

The girls nodded as Patsy cried in her sleep.

"Mean doggie," Loretta growled, seeing Patsy's arm as she continued to cry.

"Patsy awake?" Milly asked with a concerned smile.

"No. She's dreaming about the doggie from last night," Sueanna muttered with a frown.

"And her dress is starting to get wet," Loretta noticed with a sigh which she would normally giggle at.

Patsy awoke by herself, seeing her soaking wet dress.

"Patsy please you should have asked before you touched the doggies," Milly lightly scolded with a soft smile.

"I did! But they bit me!" Patsy sobbed, looking down at herself and gasped.

"Patsy it's okay. You just had an accident," Sueanna assured the sniffing girl with a smile as Milly saw Nell and ran up to her.

"Milly you came!" Nell cried with a chuckle.

"Of course!" Milly laughed with a smile. "Where are Sabrina and Madeline?"

"In Madeline's room playing beauty salon," Nell answered with a chuckle before spotting Patsy crying.

"No doggie! Bad doggie! Bad!" Patsy screamed as Loretta took her hand.

"I wish I could stay but Patsy has kept me up enough," Milly muttered with a yawn.

"Milly we can rest in my room while the girls have their little sleepover together," Nell said with a smile.

"That'll be a good idea!" Milly exclaimed before she frowned. "Helen how can you keep Madeline and Sabrina busy?"

"Milly I know their ways! How could I not know?!" Nell asked with a chuckle.

"Doggies?" Patsy asked with a scared look, having Milly pat her head.

Nell smiled softly, kneeling down towards her. "Patsy doggies aren't bad sweetheart."

"How do you know Nell?! You weren't but by them!" Patsy yelled, trying to kick Nell.

"Sweetie you see this scar I have?" Nell asked with a smile. "It's like your bit."

"Oh!" Patsy exclaimed before she frowned. "Where did you get the scar?"

"On my left cheek," Nell explained, showing a beak mark on her face.

"Birdie hurt you?" Patsy asked with a gasp. "Why? Were you little like me?"

"Yes Patsy but doggies are nice if you let them be," Nell assured her with a smile.

"Okay," Patsy muttered, hugging Nell's tummy. "Babies good?"

"Yes. They're good," Nell laughed with a smile. "You go play with your sisters okay?"

Patsy nodded excitedly as she ran to Madeline's room, smiling excitedly.

"Hey!" Sabrina pouted, seeing Patsy smell like Nell. "No one touches Nell's tummy but me and Madeline only!"

"Can't we share her tummy?" Patsy asked with a frown.

"No!" Madeline yelled, pushing Patsy to the ground and began to tickle her.

"Madeline what are you doing?" Sabrina asked in confusion.

"Tickling her so she go bye bye and we can touch Nell's tummy ourselves," Madeline explained with a giggle. "You tickle the other two."

"Madeline if we tickle them too hard they're go potty," Sabrina groaned before tickling Loretta. "That's what you want don't you? Because you have accidents?"

"Maybe," Madeline muttered softly in embarrassment.

Sabrina smiled wickedly. "Good ideas Madeline so they'll have to go home!"

"Uh huh and we can get back to playing! Except Patsy already smells like pee pee," Madeline muttered with a frown. "But I can do Sueanna!"

"Go for it!" Sabrina encouraged as Loretta started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Come and try it. I will tickle you more," Sueanna threatened, having Madeline tickle Sueanna as Sueanna tickled Madeline who giggled a little bit.

"Hey! You're supposed to go potty!" Madeline whined, trying to take Sueanna's hands off her stomach.

"No I'm not!" Sueanna yelled with a small squeal.

"Sabrina is Loretta going?" Madeline asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yes. Why?" Sabrina asked, smiling wickedly before she frowned. "What's the matter Madeline?"

"Sueanna is not," Madeline muttered with a frown. "And I have to go really bad."

"Don't let her tickle you!" Sabrina screamed as Loretta started to tickle her. "She'll make you go potty!"

"Hey Sueanna! There's a mouse!" Madeline exclaimed with a giggle. "Look!"

"Where?!" Sueanna asked, feeling hands on her stomach. "Hey! Stop! I can't hold it! Please stop!"

Sueanna began to cry as Milly and Nell barged into the room with their hands on their hips.

"Why are you girls making your friends wet themselves?" Nell asked with crossed arms.

"Milly did it to you before," Madeline muttered with a frown. "Remember? In your story?"

"Helen you didn't tell Sabrina and Madeline a story from our children did you?" Milly asked with a frown.

Nell laughed nervously, taking a gulp. "Well it seemed like a good bedtime story at the time."

"So can we do it?" Madeline asked with a giggle. "Please?"

"You made Sueanna cry!" Loretta yelled, crossing her arms. "You hurt her tummy!"

"Loretta please! Susanna is okay!

The carpet is only wet. Come on girls. You have clean clothes in your suitcases in case of accidents like this," Loretta said, taking Patsy by the hand.

Once they had left, Nell turned to her sisters who looked down at their feet.

"No more sleepover?" Sabrina asked with a frown.

"I'm sorry girls. I didn't know they were coming tonight. I should have gotten the playroom ready but I didn't," Nell muttered with a sigh. "Sabrina Madeline I want you both on your best behavior alright?"

"Okay!" Madeline yelled before remembering the babies in her sister's tummy. "I'll be good for babies."

"Yeah! We're their exam poles!" Sabrina exclaimed with a giggle.

"Examples!" Nell corrected with a smile, hugging them close. "I love you girls."

."We love you too Nell but where is Bobby Lee?" Madeline asked with a smile.

"He's around," Nell stated with a smile. "And I know that you two think that he's a teddy bear."

"But he is!" Sabrina protested as Sueanna ran to her with a hug. "Hey! Susanna get off of me!"

"Sabrina be nice," Nell laughed, lightly scolding her sister as Loretta and Patsy giggled happily. "Well they're excited."

"I told them that they'll have new friends if we stay," Milly explained with a chuckle.

"New friends?!" Madeline asked with a pout. "But Nell me and Sabrina are playing pretty shop!"

"You can play pretty shop with them Madeline," Nell suggested with a small laugh.

"You too?" Sabrina wondered with a giggle. "Please?"

"What do you say Milly?" Nell asked, nudging her friend gently.

Milly shook her head at the offer that was given to her. "Sorry girls. But me and Helen have some catching up to do right now."

"You can catch up while we make you pretty!" Madeline yelled with a giggle, sitting Nell down. "Anna for you."

"And Belle for you," Loretta said with a giggle.

"I gots the pretty stuffs!" Sueanna yelled, holding up Milly's make up back.

"And I gots the hair stuffs!" Sabrina giggled, holding up ponytail holders.

"Let's get to work now!" Patsy yelled with a giggle, holding Milly still. "If you move we'll mess up."

"Yeah. We don't wants to," Loretta muttered, holding up scissors. "Sides you need a not boring look Milly."

"Nell's just fine to us," Madeline muttered, playing with Nell's bangs. "But she needs piggy tails!"

"And pretty lip stitch!" Sabrina yelled with a giggle.

"Red lip stitches! And pretty pink shadow!" Madeline shouted, putting on the pink eye shadow on Nell's eyes.

"Long or short?" Loretta asked Patsy who was putting on pink lip stick on Milly's lips.

"Short!" Patsy cried with a giggle.

"Why?" Milly asked, smearing her lipstick.

"Hey!" Patsy pouted with a frown. "You messed me up!"

"Oh sorry. But why short Patsy?" Milly wondered as Madeline played with Nell hair.

"Pretty piggy tail!" Madeline cried, hugging the piece of hair as Sabrina groaned.

"Madeline!" Sabrina grumbled in annoyance "Please you'll mess up Nell's pigtail!"

"Okay Nell you're done," Madeline said with a smile, proud of her work. "Come on girls let's make Amber pretty now!"

"Yes!" Patsy cheered with a giggle. "Madeline let's go!"

"No! We have done Milly's hair yet!" Loretta pouted, holding the scissors close to her.

"Yeah! We have to make it short like!" Sueanna cried with a giggle.

"That's no fun! We're wasting time!" Sabrina yelled with a pout. "This is a sleepover!"

Madeline smiled in agreement Yes it will be time for us to go night night soon."

"Okay," Loretta sighed, putting the scissors down. "But after night night time?"

Sabrina and Madeline nodded excitedly as the girls ran to the kitchen, staring in awe at the sweets on the table.

"Pretty shop is on break for sweets!" Sabrina declared with a clap of her hands.

"Lots of sweets!" Patsy cried with a giggle.

"Cookies!" Madeline yelled, hugging a bag of cookies.

"Girls no!" Amber shouted, seeing them with the sweets. "The sweets are for a birthday party tomorrow. Sorry."

"Let me see the cookies Madeline," James said with a smile, reaching out for the bag.

"No! Cookies are mine! Mine! Mine!" Madeline yelled, kicking her feet.

"Whoa!" Bobby Lee exclaimed upon hearing Madeline's yelling. "What's with the yelling in here?"

"Cookies," Madeline whimpered with a quivering lip.

"Princess Amber just one cookie. I'll keep watch," Bobby Lee promised, kneeling down to Madeline and messing up her hair.

"Bobby Lee I know Madeline. One cookie means more and this is five little girls!" Amber groaned, sport Loretta with candy. "No no the candy isn't for you but they can have some after the birthday tomorrow."

"Okay fine Amber!" Sabrina grumbled with tears in her eyes. "Come girls let's go."

"Why?" Sueanna asked with a pout.

"Because she's a meanie head," Sabrina grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Amber they're only little once! Why ruin it for them?" James asked as Nell and Milly came in to get their crying sisters.

Sofia nodded in agreement with James' statement. "Amber what could sweets do to five little girls. They'll be alright."

"Sofia we told Cilo that everything will be ready for her party tomorrow! And we are keeping that promise!" Amber yelled in annoying.

"Princess when Helen and I were kids, we were told that a promise can be broken," Milly explained, handing Madeline a bag of cookies. "We'll rebake everything tomorrow if we have too."

"Cookies," Madeline cooed, hugging the bag close to her.

"Come on friends! Let's go!" Sabrina yelled as the five giggling little girls left for the ballroom.

"I'll asked Mom," Amber muttered with a smile. "Come on Sofia and James! Let's go!"

"Oh! Chocolate!" Milly cried, taking some chocolate with her as Bobby Lee and Nell stared at her.

"We want the chocolate!" Nell yelled, trying to grab it.

"Teenagers. We're teenagers so let's all calm down and- No. Oh what the hell. It's mine!" Bobby Lee shouted as Milly threw it in the air. "Darn it!"

"I win!" Nell cried with a smile, holding up the chocolate close to her. "My cravings are starting to show so this is mine."

"Cravings? Cravings?!" Milly hissed, unaware of little giggles. "They're mine! I found them!"

"No! Mine!" Nell growled, hearing Madeline's giggles. "Mine! Mine! Mine!"

"We got Milly and Nell good!" Sabrina giggled over the teenagers fighting.

"Thank Amber, Sofa, and James for helping us," Madeline said with a smile.

"That's what sisters are for," Amber stated with a chuckle. "Come on! A puppet show is fixing to start!"

"So can we have the cookies?" Madeline asked with a smile.

Sofia laughed, patting her head. "Of course Madeline."

"And we'll share too!" Sueanna exclaimed with a smile. "We don't wanna be like our sisters."

"Let's go our big sisters act like babies," Patsy admitted with a giggle.

"Uh huh. They need a time out to um well to think about what they did!" Sabrina shouted in agreement.

"Let's give to them right now!" Loretta suggested with a giggle as Sueanna nodded with a smile. "Milly! Milly's friend?"

"Yes?" Milly asked as she and Nell looked down at their little sisters.

"Nell we knew you would act out! Bobby Lee can you put Nell and Mily into two rooms? They need a time out for fighting and we will handle the candy. Thank you Bobby Lee," Madeline said with a giggle, taking the chocolate. "Come on girls we have a show to get to!"

"How did Madeline get to be so wise?" Nell asked in confusion.

"Yes Helen and Milly but you heard Madeline," Bobby Lee reminded them with a smile."Timeout for both of you' ladies."

"What?! That's total crap!" Nell yelled in annoyance. "She's five! I got a spanking if I acted out!"

"Oh so you want that too?" Milly asked with a laugh.

Nell gulped, biting her lip. "Oh no.

"Hey you started it!" Milly chuckled as Nell growled.

"No. It was yours!" Nell yelled as Bobby Lee gently took her hand. "So um no spanking?"


	6. Father's Day

Chapter Six: Father's Day

Siblings: Elena and Gabby.

Setting: Three to four years after current stories.

"Gabby wake up!" Four year old Elena yelled with a giggle. "It's time to awake Daddy up!"

"Elena we need our cards we made for him!" Gabby pouted with a frown.

"I already gots them!" Elena giggled, showing Gabby their cards.

"Then come on! Let's go to Daddy!" Gabby yelled with a giggle before looking down at her leg. "I don't like my scar Elena. What if Daddy doesn't like it or me?"

"Gabby if Daddy didn't love us would he have married Mommy like he did?" Elena asked with hands on her hips.

Gabby blushed softly in embarrassment. "True Elena. Let's go wake Daddy up like we did with Mommy on Mama day."

"Daddy! Daddy!" Elena and Gabby yelled, bumping into Bobby Lee who laughed.

On the girls third birthday he had proposed to Nell in front of the entire family. Elena still laughed at the thought of Amber fainting at the news before being picked up.

On winter solstice they had gotten married and the girls threw flowers at people though Gabby thought it meant the basket and accidentally threw it in Roland's face.

Luckily for her he wasn't mad at her, just chuckling as Gabby got out of her thoughts, pulling Bobby Lee's leg.

"You don't work today Daddy?" Gabby wondered with a smile, almost calling him Mr. Bobby Lee.

Bobby Lee chuckled, hugging her close. "No Gabby Daddy is yours for the day."

"Yes!" Gabby yelled with a giggle. "Daddy me and Elena got you a card!"

"It has hearts and Elsa on it cause you gots married on her birthday!" Elena exclaimed with a giggle, jumping up and down.

"I did?" Bobby Lee asked with a laugh.

"Yes Daddy!" Gabby giggled with a smile. "Winter is Elsa's birthday!"

"Bobby Lee your wife made you some breakfast!" Nell exclaimed, leading him and the girls down the hall.

"Mommy you're spoil him!" Elena yelled, crossing her arms. "Bad Mommy!"

"I wonder if the king himself gets spoiled like I do," Bobby Lee laughed as Elena drooled at the pancakes on his plate.

"Yummy!" Gabby shouted with a laugh. "Pancakes Daddy!"

"Oh you mean King Roland with with his daughters?" Nell asked with a laugh."I say he gets spoiled now Bobby Lee eat your pancakes." She turned to her daughters with a smile. "Elena Gabby come on let's get you two ready for the day."

"But I wanna stay!" Elena pouted, throwing herself on the floor.

"I sense a meltdown is about to happen," Gabby muttered with a sigh. "And on Daddy's first daddy day as our daddy."

"Elena either you get dress or you can just forgot about spend the day with Daddy!" Nell threatened with crossed arms.

Tears began to flow down Elena's cheek before she kicked Nell in the leg, hiding behind Bobby Lee's chair.

"Elena you can't kick Mommy!" Gabby exclaimed with a gasp.

"But I see Auntie Madeline do it all the time!" Elena giggled with a smile. "What's the big deal Gabby."

"True but um Elena I think Daddy isn't happy," Gabby confessed with a gulp.

Elena turned around to see Bobby Lee give her a cold look.

Sighing to herself she took Nell by the hand, wanting to spend the day with her still new father figure in her life.

"Elena where did you learn to kick?" Nell wondered in surprise as she walked the girls to their room.

"Auntie Madeline," Elena answered softly, biting her lip.

"Well you left a boo boo on Mommy's leg," Nell muttered with a frown.

"Can I make it better with a kiss?" Elena asked with a innocence look.

Nell chuckled softly. "Yes you can Elena."

Elena kissed the bruise on Nell's leg, backing towards the door to her and Gabby's room.

"How are you feeling right now Elena?" Nell asked, hoping to practice on Elena's feelings.

"Mommy I'm fine," Elena grumbled in annoyance "Stop worrying!"

"Honey since you were one I've always been worried," Nell explained with a smile as Elena turned red.

"You just want to do the how I feel game don't you Mommy?" Elena asked with a giggle. "Maybe after Daddy's day with us."

Nell chuckled softly in understanding. "Okay Elena."

The two hugged as Gabby had put her dress over herself.

"Look Mommy! I dressed myself!" Gabby yelled with a giggle.

"I see but Gabby it is on backwards," Nell said, holding back a snicker.

Elena giggled softly, getting herself ready like a big girl as Nell helped Gabby get redressed.

"Here's your little girls on your special day!" Nell announced once they were back down, leaving Gabby to look at her scar.

"Whoa!" Bobby Lee exclaimed with a smile upon seeing Elena and Gabby. "That was fast Helen!"

Nell chuckled, pushing the twins in front of her. "With two sisters of my own you learn a few tricks."

Elena ran to Bobby Lee's arms excitedly as Gabby stayed behind.

"Gabby what's wrong baby?" Nell asked, kneeling down towards her.

"I don't think Daddy likes me no more because of my scar," Gabby explained, looking away.

"Gabby that isn't true!" Bobby Lee shouted as Elena nodded her head in agreement.

"Really Daddy? But it was my fault that James' doggie had to go away," Gabby reminded him with a frown. "James was so mad."

"Yes Gab gab. It's true sweetheart," Bobby Lee said to her, stroking her hair.

"But we couldn't take a chance of Rex biting anyone again," Nell reminded Gabby with tears in her eyes before wiping them away. "Not you or Elena or Aunt Sabrina and Aunt Madeline. I'm sorry Gabby."

Gabby started to cry, hugging herself before burying her head as Bobby Lee and Elena sat down beside her.

"We can visit the duckies in the pond," Elena suggested with a smile. "You like the duckies Gabby."

"Or we can go into the village and get an ice cream. That way that you can't think of Rex anymore," Bobby Lee suggested with a smile of his own.

"Thanks Elena," Gabby said with a smile. "You're one smart sister."

"Hey Nell, Elena, Gabby, and Bobby Lee Sabrina wanta to know have you seen Madeline" anywhere?" James asked as the family of four looked up. "We can't find her. We checked the pond and in the village two times already."

"Have you tired King Roland Amber and Sofia?" Bobby Lee asked with a smile.

"Yep," James answered in a huff.

"Oh boy. We lost Madeline on your first Father's Day. I'm sorry Bobby Lee," Nell apologized with a weak smile. "I must be the worst wife ever."

"Helen we'll find her," Bobby Lee assured his worried wife with a smile. "Now what does Madeline like to do to the most?

"Sweets!" Elena yelled with a giggle.

"Doggies," Gabby said with a whimper.

"Playing hide and seek," Nell chuckled, hearing a giggle. "I found her. Just follow my lead everyone. Well thanks Jamie for letting us know that the trip has been called off!"

"Hello people!" Madeline yelled with a giggle as James glared at her. "What I do wrong?"

"You made us worried sick for starters," James grumbled in annoyance.

"Hide and peek again!" Madeline shouted, clapping her hands. "Please?"

"Later Madeline but why did you leave the castle without telling anyone?" Nell asked as Madeline began to cry.

"Because I missed you. Since you gots married you have to leave," Madeline explained with a sniff. "Why did you go away?"

"Madeline I'm married now and have a family but remember I'm still your big sister," Nell said with a smile.

"Yes but nothing is the same at the castle. No more night night stories or kissing or no more you making the scary things go away or no more good morning hugs or no more cuddles! Since you gots married to Bobby Lee you don't love me and Sabrina anymore. What kind of big sister are you Nell!?" Madeline yelled as the nine year old kicked Nell's other leg.

"Damn it!" Nell cursed before turning red in the face. "Madeline you want me back don't you?"

"Yes I do!" Madeline shouted, jumping up and down.

"Madeline I can't I'm sorry but I am but I'll still come and say goodnight," Nell said with a smile.

Madeline ran into Nell's arms excitedly as Gabby looked at Bobby Lee.

"Duckies?" Gabby asked with a small smile.

"Sure Gabby. Ready Elena?" Bobby Lee asked, only seeing that she wasn't there.

"Come on Daddy! You're too slow!" Elena yelled with a giggle, near the front door. "Duckies can't wait forever!"

"Hide and peek too?" Madeline asked, following them along.

"Madeline Dad is waiting for you at home! Come on!" James grumbled in annoyance before kissing Nell's hand. "Bye Nell."

"No!" Madeline yelled with crossed arms. "I want hide and peek with Bobby Lee James!"

"Madeline we are heading home now!" James beckoned, taking her arm. "March!"

"Duckies! Duckies!" Gabby cried impatiently, tugging on Bobby Lee's pants.

"Hopefully you don't turn into your aunt when you're older," Bobby Lee muttered as he took his daughters down to the pond to look at the ducks.

"We won't Daddy," Gabby said as Elena took off her shoes.

"We promise," Elena added, putting her feet in the water.

"Hi duckies! You're not a doggie are you?" Gabby asked with a smile.


	7. The sick dolly

Chapter Seven: The sick dolly

Siblings: Elena, Gabby, and James.

Setting: Two and a half years after Children and Dogs

"It's going to be okay, Elena," Nell assured her, trying to keep the impending meltdown to a low roar, "We'll find someone to fix Dolly."

Suddenly, Bobby Lee saw James in the hall. "James, could you help us? We need your expertise on something."

"Okay," James nodded. He entered, giving Gabby a stiff nod. His dog Rex had bitten her when she was younger, and had to be sent away (it was Gabby's own fault for playing too roughly with him, he thought, but it was nice that everyone agreed that he could have a dog again when the twins were older). Fortunately, on his birthday last year, they got another chance to have a dog in the family. James sighed inwardly; it was agreed that Jagger had to be an outside dog, but James really didn't care. He promised to keep an eye on him when he was with the girls, and Nell and Bobby Lee agreed to watch the girls around him. "What do you want to know?"

"Elena's dolly's sick!" Gabby explained. "Make her better?"

"I'll see what I can do," James replied.

"You can help her?" Elena asked.

James grinned at her. "Of course I can! I go to Royal Prep in the morning, but at night I went to medical school!" He watched as Nell bit her lip to keep from laughing as he continued, "I recently graduated, and a few weeks ago, I got an internship at a very prestigious medical facility…go me!" He turned to Bobby Lee, adding, "I'd better make this quick; you and I don't want to be late for our three o'clock tee time!"

"Elena, what does a duckie say again?" Bobby Lee asked with a smile.

"Quack! Quack!" Elena giggled.

"Quack! Quack!" Gabby echoed.

"Girls, Bobby Lee, be nice," Nell chuckled.

"We are so nice! Right, girls?" Bobby Lee grinned.

"Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!" Elena and Gabby sang, dancing around the room.

"You think I'm a quack, do you? I don't have to take this! I know when I've been insulted!" James turned around as if to storm out of the room, but Elena caught his hand.

"James mad? Don't go, please? Fix Dolly!" Elena begged, giving him puppy-dog eyes.

"Well, when you put it that way," James paused, and smiled. "Okay. I'll see what I can do." He took the doll on his lap, and Elena and Gabby sat on either side of him. "She looks a little dirty. What happened?"

"The girls were outside playing in the dirt with their dollies, and they got all covered in dust," Nell explained.

"Elena said her dolly got tired soon after that," Gabby added.

"She got dusty, and she was tired soon after," James repeated, "Was she having trouble with her balance?"

"Yeah! She said she wouldn't dance with me and my dolly," Gabby told him.

"I think I know what the problem is," James said after a few moments. "Elena, your dolly is a lot like me."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"She likes cannons and monkeys and ice cream?" Nell joked.

"Oh my!" Bobby Lee grinned as he and Nell purposely misquoted one of the girls' favorite books.

"Well, that too, but do you see this gray powder?" James asked, taking a handkerchief and swiping some dust off the doll's face. "It's not really dust; it's Pelicant Eggshell Powder."

"Is that bad?" Gabby asked.

"It can be," Nell was partly playing along with James, and at the same time explaining to the girls. "You know how tired James gets when he handles that powder, and how sick he gets. I think James thinks that Dolly has the same problem."

"How do we fix Dolly?" Elena asked.

"For starters, lots of rest," James replied. "Even though Dolly's going to get cleaned up, the powder's already inside her. She'll be really tired for a few days, and won't be able to play."

Elena looked sad, but before she could have a meltdown, Nell said, "Elena, do you like to play when you're sick?"

"No…" Elena paused.

"That's how Dolly will feel for a few days," Bobby Lee explained. "But you can still take care of her and keep her company."

"And Dolly will have to be careful about what she eats, too," James agreed. "The eggs are edible, but you now know that I can't eat them. Lucky for me, there are other eggs Chef Andre uses when he's cooking, so I can eat things like pancakes and ice cream with you and the girls."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but Madeline will be happy that we can still have ice cream!" Nell smiled.

"I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't eat pancakes!" Bobby Lee agreed, striking a dramatic pose.

James nodded as Elena and Gabby giggled at their father's antics. "You and me both! I was happy I can still eat things like that too. But to get back on the subject, Cedric uses Pelicant Eggshell Powder in some of his potions, so I always have to have him handle it when I have potions homework in Royal Prep."

"Will she get better?" Gabby asked.

"Of course she will," Nell assured her.

"But do you mean, will she grow out of the allergy?" James asked. When Gabby nodded, James shook his head. "No. I've had trouble with Pelicant Eggshell Powder since I was about your age, and it still bothers me now, even though I'm older."

"How long until Dolly's better?" Elena asked.

"It's usually three or four days," James replied. "I'll tell you what, Elena: I'll come by every day, and with you as my helper, we'll take care of Dolly."

"Me too?" Gabby asked.

"Sure. Jagger can't hurt you since he's outside, and he is a really nice dog if you treat him well," James agreed.

"Okay!" Gabby smiled, and she and Elena hugged James.

"Now, Dr. James, how much is this going to cost us?" Nell asked, smiling at the touching scene, and happy that James and Gabby were getting along so well.

"I think I know what we can pay him with," Bobby Lee grinned, putting a song on and taking Nell in his arms.

He danced her around the room as he sang, " _Doctor, doctor, give me the news_

 _I've got a bad case of lovin' you_ "

James smirked as he helped put Elena's doll to bed and took her and Gabby by the hands. "If you two think you can pay for my services with a song…you're absolutely right!"

He joined them in the dance as he sang with them, " _No pill's gonna cure my ill_

 _I've got a bad case of lovin' you!_ "


	8. Horse danger

Chapter Eight: Horse danger

Siblings: Gabby, James, and Elena.

Setting: A few years after current stories.

Everyone was having a great time at Amber's latest party. She had gone all out as usual, making sure everything was fabulous. Nell was especially pleased that Amber was even including things for Elena and Gabby to do. She had just gotten them cleaned up from decorating their first parasols when she felt a tug at her hand.

"Mama! Horsies!" Gabby squealed, pointing at the area where some flying horses were standing, and other people were riding them. "Let's go!"

Nell smiled; she knew that ever since Sofia had joined her school's flying derby team, and told her and Elena bedtime stories about horses, both with and without wings, Gabby had shown an interest in flying horses. "Okay, Gabby, but remember: we can look at and pet them, but don't get on it unless someone goes with you."

"We ride horsies?" Elena asked, coming up to them.

"Sorry, sweetie, but like I just said to Gabby, we can look and pet, but don't ride unless someone goes with you," Nell smiled. She knew Elena also loved animals.

Nell, Elena, and Gabby watched a few people on the horses. It was exciting watching the horses take off and soar through the sky for a little while, then they landed on the ground again.

A few minutes later, they were listening as James sang a song with Amber. Nell smiled as she recognized it. Bobby Lee had often sung that with her, and her smile widened as he put his arm around her and sang along.

However, as much as she liked hearing James sing, Gabby was still thinking about the flying horses. She tugged at Nell's hand.

"Mama, I'm going for a walk," Gabby said when Nell looked down.

"Okay, sweetie, but don't go too far," Nell nodded.

"Have fun, and be careful," Bobby Lee added.

Gabby went right over to where the flying horses were. However, she heard someone come up to her.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked. She'd followed her sister when James and Amber's song ended.

"Horsies!" Gabby smiled as she led her over to the flying horses again. She approached one, who was about the size of Sofia's horse Minimus, and petted him.

"Hi, horsie," Elena smiled as she petted him.

"Can I ride you?" Gabby asked.

"Mama said no!" Elena's smile faded, and she looked toward Nell and Bobby Lee, who were a short distance away, but still watching them.

"Can I sit on you?" Gabby asked, petting the horse.

"Mama said no!" Elena repeated.

Gabby suddenly looked over at something in the distance. "Elena! Kitty!" she said, pointing at a small animal.

"Kitty?" There it was. Gabby had said the magic word which would distract Elena from anything. Elena smiled and ran toward the good-sized squirrel Gabby was pointing at. "Kitty!"

While Nell and Bobby Lee came over to them, they gathered Elena up, and promised to let her play with one of the real kitties in the stable, Gabby slipped onto the horse's back.

She thought she'd just sit on it for a minute and then get off again. She smiled as she settled herself in the saddle; she felt like such a big girl, being on a horse by herself.

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise. The horse spooked and broke free from its rope harness and took off, with Gabby clinging to him for dear life.

Nell and Bobby Lee had just sent Elena back to her parasol and drawings, when they heard terrified screaming. They looked up in alarm.

"Helen! Is that-" Bobby Lee gasped, seeing the small figure on the horse's back.

"GABBY!" Nell's scream reached James' ears as he was preparing for an encore song. He looked up, seeing the horse take off with Gabby on his back.

"Amber, I think I'll let you commandeer the karaoke machine now!" James shouted. He ran to the flying horse ride area, where his own flying horse was waiting for an older rider, and jumped on him. "HYAH!" he yelled as he took off.

"Horsie get down! Mama!" Gabby wailed, holding on for dear life.

"Gabby!" James shouted, flying up to her.

"Help me!" Gabby cried.

"That's what I'm going to do," James lowered his voice. It wouldn't do any good to shout; Gabby was scared enough already, and he recalled that the man who had provided the horses said that this horse was particularly skittish around loud noises. Even though he was as scared as Gabby was, James knew he had to be calm. He took a deep breath. "Gabby, can you be a big brave girl and reach out to me?"

"I want Mama!" Gabby cried.

"And I'll get you to Mama," James promised. "I just need you to reach out to me."

"Okay," Gabby whimpered.

As he watched Gabby calm down, James sent up a prayer of thanks that he had paid attention to Sofia's description of the flying slingshot, and thought that what he was going to do, grabbing Gabby's hands in midair, was going to be similar. "Gabby, can you reach across your horse to me? I promise, I'm right here. I'm going to catch you."

Gabby slowly extended her hand toward James, who grabbed it. He counted to three, then pulled her onto his horse and they flew back to the ground together. With Gabby still in his arms, he helped secure the horses when they landed.

They came back to the group, who was wildly cheering. However, Gabby started crying when she was set on the ground again.

"It's okay, Gabby, you're safe," James murmured. However, he sounded a little choked up himself. He started trembling as everything that happened caught up with him.

"Gabby!" Nell shouted when she approached them. She pulled her into a tight hug and covered her face with kisses. When she broke apart, she continued, "Gabby Anna O'Malley, I ought to put you in timeout and have you grounded until you're my age! But I think you've been punished enough!"

"I'm sorry, Mama," Gabby sniffled.

"Actually, Gabby, you'll just be grounded only for the day tomorrow," Bobby Lee spoke up.

"Okay," Gabby whispered as Nell nodded in agreement, then she went over to James, who had buried his face in Roland's side. "Thank you James."

"James, you're crying too. Why are you sad?" Elena asked, hearing soft sniffles.

"He's not sad, sweetheart; I think he's just frightened by what happened, but he'll be fine," Roland assured her before turning his attention back to James, who was shaking and in tears himself.

"Dad…" James started, but he couldn't continue.

"It's all right, James, you did just fine. Thanks to you, Gabby's safe," Roland murmured as he hugged him tightly, "Just let it all out. Everything's going to be alright."

James barely heard him, but he lifted his tearstained face when he saw his dog Jagger come up to them.

"Jag…" he murmured, letting the Irish Red and White Setter lick his hands.

Gabby looked tense when the dog came up to her next, but Jagger nudged her with his nose.

"It's okay, Gabby; Jagger just wants to see if you're alright," Bobby Lee said as he scratched the dog behind his ears. "Good boy Jagger."

Gabby smiled. "Good boy Jaggy!" she echoed, letting him lick her hands.

"Good boy!" Elena joined in, giggling as Jagger licked her next.

"Okay, I think we all need something to calm us down," Amber suggested. She gave James a hug, then led him back to the stage. "Come on, James, aren't you always saying that music makes everything better?"

James managed to calm down, and he smiled a little. "Yes it does. Let's go!"


	9. Meeting Jack

Chapter Nine: Meeting Jack

Siblings: Madeline, Elena and Gabby.

Setting: A year after O'Malleys and Rugrats in Paris.

"No park! No park!" Gabby yelled upon hearing her mother talk about another day at the park while washing Elena's kitty toy.

"Why not?" Madeline wondered, looking at her nieces in concern. "Nell said it was good."

Elena shook her head, kicking her legs angrily. "Mommy wrong!"

"Why? What happened?" Madeline asked in concern as she turned to the twins. "Elena, you and Gabby usually love going to the park with Nell."

Elena started to cry as Gabby hugged her sister close, patting her back.

"A mean big kid threw her kitty in the mud," Gabby explained with a growl.

"No wonder Nell's washing it. But what about you Gabby?" Madeline asked with a soft smile.

"Just a bug in my diaper is all," Gabby muttered with a frown.

"Well since Auntie Sabrina has a cold what do you say if I came with you two back to the park?" Madeline offered with a smile.

"Yes! Yes!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down.

Gabby shook her head at the suggestion. "He might get you too Auntie Madeline. Especially with a itchy bug!"

"Let him try Gabby!" Madeline threatened with a growl. "I gots something planned for him!"

"You do?" The twins asked in surprise as Nell walked towards them and Madeline.

"Here's your kitty all nice and clean Elena!" Nell chuckled, handing the sparkling toy to Elena.

"Kitty!" Elena giggled, hugging her toy close. "You're back!"

"Uh huh Nell can I go to the park too?" Madeline asked with a giggle. "Please? Please? Please? Please?"

Nell smiled, patting Madeline on the head. "I don't see what's the trouble with you going Madeline. Especially with Sabrina sick."

Nell was unaware that Madeline was up to something as the little girl hide a sly smile from her older sister.

Instead Madeline thanked her, digging into her pockets for animals crackers.

"Kitties!" Elena and Gabby yelled upon seeing the animal crackers.

Madeline giggled, patting their heads."No no. It isn't for you two."

"Why?" Elena asked in confusion.

"Is it for the mean big kid?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"That's right Gabby!" Madeline giggled, clapping her hands. "I got it from the kitchen!"

"Oh right Auntie Madeline," Elena muttered before smiling. "Can I have kitty now?"

"Elena I got you two some extra stuffs just in case," Madeline muttered, giving Elena a cookie.

"Way to go Auntie Madeline!" Gabby cheered, taking a cookie of her own.

"Madeline Elizabeth! The cookies were for after lunch! I can't even turn my back for one minute but I thought that without Sabrina you would have at least stayed out of trouble!" Nell scolded before she sighed. "But come on we can have lunch at the park then you three can play until two then have a nice nap."

Madeline frowned but held Elena and Gabby's hands.

Elena felt herself ready to throw up as she and Gabby heard familiar footsteps.

"Aw the two babies are back for some more!" Jack cooed, messing up her hair. "And who are you little girl? Their friend?"

"I'm their aunt thank you very much!" Madeline growled with crossed arms.

"Aunt?!" Jack laughed, holding his bugs and a popsicle close. "That's rich!"

"What's that stick thing?" Gabby asked in confusion.

"Hold it Elena and Gabby," Madeline said, pushing her nieces away. "Go play I'd like to have a word with this Jack."

Elena and Gabby shook their heads. They didn't want their aunt hurt like they were.

"What's that stick?" Elena wondered, walking up to Jack.

"I'll show you," Jack offered with a smile, having Elena close her eyes. "There you go."

"Elena you okay?" Gabby asked, seeing her sister's legs shiver.

"Cold! Cold! Cold!" Elena yelled, jumping up and down. "Cold!"

"So that's how you want to play?! Gabby take Elena to Nell now! Go on," Madeline beckoned gently as both little girls left.

"Cold. Cold. Cold," Elena muttered as Gabby took her hand.

"I know Elena. I went pee pee because of the bugs," Gabby admitted to her sister before Elena started to cry.

Gabby could only hug her sister close before tugging on Nell's dress.

"Mama Elena and me wet," Gabby said, letting Elena go.

"How did you two girls get wet?" Nell wondered with a frown, taking their hands.

"Bad boy Mommy," Elena sniffed, trying to get the popsicle stick that had long since melted out of what she was wearing.

"Hey Jack! Get ready to pay for messing with my nieces!" Madeline threatened with crossed arms.

"Oh really? How old are you carrot head?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"Six!" Madeline answered with a growl.

"Oh six carrot head?" Jack wondered with a grin.

"How old are you big mean boy?" Madeline asked with a hiss. "Tell me before I knock you out!"

"Eight and well my mommy will be having a baby girl soon so I couldn't help myself and they were tiny to tease. I just wanted a brother," Jack explained as Madeline growled.

"I don't believe you!" Madeline laughed as she circled around him. "Oh the shoes seem like a good place to tie up!"

Tying up his shoes, Madeline held up the animal crackers that Elena and Gabby had wanted as Jack stared at her.

"Yummy!" Jack yelled, seeing the crackers as Madeline laughed, telling him to catch her.

Unfortunately for Jack, he fell upon taking his first steps as Madeline giggled, running towards her sister and nieces as Nell start to change Elena.

"Did you get him?" Gabby wondered with a smile, munching on a piece of cracker.

"You little brat!" Jack yelled, seeing Madeline from afar. "I'll get you!"

"What's the matter? An eight year old can't outsmart a six year old?" Madeline asked with a giggle.

"Mama bad boy!" Gabby whined, dropping her cracker in fear.

"So you're the one messing with my girls?!" Nell asked with hands on her hips.

"Yes but this little no good carrot top tied my shoes together!" Jack whined, crossing his arms.

"Well you shouldn't have messed with my girls then!" Nell chuckled, hiding back a smile. " I'll be talking to your mother. March boy!"

"I'll change Elena Nell!" Madeline called after her sister who nodded.

"Ew! Sticky!" Gabby groaned, seeing her sister covered in ice cream or at least her bottom half as Madeline cleaned her up.

Elena blushed softly, looking around as she spotted a boy her and Gabby's age looking at her.

"Up oh. Um Auntie Madeline is it okay if boys like us?" Gabby asked in confession.

"Of course! Come on! Let's go see that boy!" Madeline giggled, taking Elena by the hand.

Elena started to blush again as she spotted the boy from the sandbox.

"Hello boy," Madeline said as Elena blushed. "You like my niece Elena?"

"H-Hi," the boy stuttered with a blush of his own.

"Hello," Elena muttered, looking at the boy with a smile. "You nice?"

The boy nodded with a smile as Elena kissed his cheek.

The boy gasped in shock as his eyes widened. "Wow Elena! You waste no time!"

"Nell did you talk to Jack's mommy?" Madeline asked upon seeing Nell approach the sandbox.

"I did and we came to an agreement that he has to be dressed and has to act like Elena and Gabby for a few days," Nell explained with a smile.

"Yes and Elena and Gabby made a new friend already Nell!" Madeline giggled, jumping up and down. "See?"

Nell chuckled, seeing Elena try to kiss the boy again. "I see Madeline."

"I can't wait to tell Sabrina about this fun day at the park!" Madeline said with a smile as Gabby clapped her hands.

"And we can't wait for bad boy to be baby like us!" Gabby giggled, starting to dance a little.

"Gabby don't start!" Madeline started before smiling a little bit. "Okay maybe that is something to be happy about."


	10. Late night sisters talk

Chapter Ten: Late night sisters talk

Siblings: Sabrina, Madeline and Nell.

Setting: After chapter three of Autism.

"Madeline you awake?" Sabrina asked with a yawn as she uncovered herself.

Madeline nodded, stroking her doll's hair. "It's not time to be night night."

"I agree. You sad for Elena?" Sabrina hoped with a smile.

"Little but what I'm worried about is how Gabby is seeing Nell and Bobby Lee kissing," Madeline confessed with a frown. "I mean how is she leaving her crib at night night time?"

Sabrina shrugged, kicking her feet. "Elena's who I'm worried for."

"Why?" Madeline wondered as she dropped her doll.

"Maddie, Elena was changing Gabby's diaper. That's not what a baby does!" Sabrina sighed in frustration.

"But you changed my pull ups," Madeline reminded her sister with a giggle.

"True but I'm just scared for her," Sabrina admitted as Madeline took her hand.

"Come on! Nell would know do! Let's go visit her!" Madeline suggested with a smile.

"But Madeline we're the supposed to be sleeping!" Sabrina pouted with a cross of her arms.

"Nell won't mind!" Madeline laughed as both girls left the room.

They walked into Nell's room. Seeing her asleep the girls frowned as Madeline started jumping in Nell's bed.

"Huh? What?" Nell wondered with a yawn before spotting her sisters. "Girls what is it?"

"Nell, we aren't sleepy so we came to visit you!" Madeline giggled with a smile.

"Nell will Elena be okay?" Sabrina asked in concern.

Nell was almost furious at the girls for being woken up but her face softened as she saw Sabrina's lip quiver.

"Oh girls I don't know to be honest," Nell answered, taking her sisters in her arms.

"Nell how did Gabby see you and Bobby Lee kissing?" Madeline wondered with a smile.

Nell laughed softly, stroking her hair. "I'm wondering that too."

"Maybe she walked over to play with you and saw it!" Sabrina suggested with a giggle.

Nell laughed again, kissing her cheek. "Could be Sabrina."

"Nell who's that big dolly for?" Madeline wondered with big eyes, pointing to the wall.

"Me honey," Nell explained with a yawn, smiling nostalgically.

"Why?" Sabrina asked in confusion as Madeline tried to play with it.

"Come on dolly let's play dress up while Nell night night!" Madeline yelled with a giggle, hugging the doll close.

"Madeline, put her down!" Nell scolded, slapping Madeline on the hand.

"But why?" Madeline asked, looking away from her sister.

"Yes Nell why?" Sabrina wondered before she started to giggle. "You aren't playing with it and toys are meant to be played and cuddled with until you're um eighty two I think."

"Girls it's special to me like you two are," Nell explained with a smile.

"Like Elena is to us?" Madeline asked, jumping up and down.

"Yes Madelin but whoa! How did you change the doll outfit?" Nell wondered in shock, not expecting it to happen.

"From the dolly dress up bag she came with!" Madeline shouted with a giggle."See Nell you need to keep Bell happy by dressing her!"

Nell could only laughed, patting her head as she noticed tears down Sabrina's cheeks. "Butterfly Love Bug will be alright."

Sabrina shook her head in denial. "Elena will not!"

"How honey?" Nell asked with a smile, kissing her cheek.

Sabrina didn't answer, hugging her knees as Madeline hugged her close.

Nell watched them for a few minutes before making room in her bed.

"Just this one night girls," Nell muttered, poking their noses playfully. "Remember I'm a mommy you know."

Madeline smiled happily as she clapped her hands. "We know Nell. You sound more like a mommy every day!"

"Well put Madeline!" Sabrina shouted, smiling happily.

The girls giggled as Nell poked their noses again.

"But I'm still your sister!" Nell yelled with a laughed as she playfully jumped on them, tickling their stomachs.

"Nell you tickle good!" Sabrina laughed, nearly in tears. "My worry for Elena is gone!"

"Told you Nell would help us!" Madeline giggled, holding her legs close.

"Madeline everything okay?" Nell asked, stopping her tickling.

"No I need to go potty," Madeline answered with a groan.

"Come on. I don't want my sheets wet," Nell softly beckoned as she carried Madeline to the bathroom. "I'll be out here if you need me."

"Nell Madeline hasn't been well going since you been busy with Elena and Gabby this week," Sabrina explained as Nell groaned softly.

Madeline banged on the door, crying out in pain. "Nell I need your help!"

"Coming Madeline!" Nell yelled, standing beside her sister. "Come on sweetest just a little bit."

"Okay," Madeline muttered as she started to go.

Sabrina laid down on Nell and closed her eyes while Madeline finished going as she yawned, looking at Nell with sleepy eyes.

"Okay Madeline time for bed!" Nell yelled before she chuckled softly. "Well Sabrina's asleep."

Carrying her two sisters in bed, Nell got beside them before falling asleep herself.

In the morning Nell awoke to hearing a small chuckle from her boyfriend.

"Bobby Lee quiet!" Nell whispered in a hushed voice. "You'll wake up Sabrina and Madeline."

"I'm sorry Helen but this is just precious seeing you three like this," Bobby Lee confessed with a smile as Elena crawled to Nell, tugging on her nightgown.

"Hungry huh?" Nell wondered as Elena nodded, pointing to her chest. "Okay Elena but how about some oatmeal sweetheart? Come on."

Elena giggled as she flapped her arms, reaching out to kiss her aunts.

"Gabby!" Nell and Bobby Lee laughed with smiles on their faces, trying to let Elena and Gabby be innocent for as long as they could.

Madeline wiggled but still slept on without waking as Sabrina woke up, wondering what time it was.

Nell could only laugh in response as Elena pulled on Sabrina's hair.

"Play! Play!" Elena yelled, clapping her hands.

Sabrina laughed, patting her head gently. "Okay okay Elena let Nell feed you oatmeal then we can play in the garden!"

Elena smiled, flapping her arms in response. "Yeah!"


	11. Teasing is not pleasing

Chapter Eleven: Teasing is not pleasing

Siblings: Elena and Gabby, Sofia and Amber.

Setting: Three years after Autism and close to a year after Kitten Smitten.

Following Elena and Gabby O'Malley's first day of preschool, Gabby noticed that Elena was being strangely quiet. She was staring out the coach window, lost in her own world of thoughts. At first, Gabby didn't think much of that; Elena liked daydreaming about her favorite princesses, but when she tried to get her attention, Elena ignored her and shrugged her hand off.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Gabby asked, seeing her sister on the verge of tears.

Elena didn't answer her; instead, she went right to the stable where her pet kitten Snow White lived. (King Roland was allergic to cats, so the family had Snow White living in the stable so she wouldn't trigger his allergies.)

Nell and Bobby Lee were watching as Elena ran off. "Well, someone's eager to see her kitty friend," Bobby Lee smiled.

"Mommy, Daddy, where's Elena?" Gabby asked.

"She went to the stable to see Snow White," Nell replied. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Gabby nodded, and was about to go after her, but Sofia and Amber met up with her first. "Hi, Gabby!" Sofia smiled, greeting her with a hug, "How was your first day of preschool?"

"It was fun," Gabby smiled. However, her smile faded. "I had fun, but something's wrong with Elena. She barely said anything when we were coming home."

"What happened?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Was she thinking about her favorite princesses?" Amber asked.

"I thought she was," Gabby admitted. "That always makes her happy, but when we got home, she looked sad and went right to the stables where Snow White lives."

"Let's go talk to her," Nell suggested. "Don't worry, Gabby; we'll figure this out."

Suddenly, Gabby looked like she remembered something. "Mommy, Daddy, Elena was yelling at a boy today," she recalled. "It happened during story time. I don't know what he was saying, but Elena got upset and started telling him to leave her alone. Then she started yelling at his friends to go away."

"Did the teacher notice anything?" Bobby Lee asked.

"She put some of the boys in time-out, but this one boy wouldn't go there," Gabby replied. "He said he didn't have to go to time-out since he's a prince-o-pal's son."

"Well, principal's son or not, he shouldn't act like that," Nell frowned. "Let's go find Elena and talk to her."

Nell, Bobby Lee, Gabby, Sofia, and Amber found Elena in the stable. She was in Snow White's stall, cuddling her and whispering to herself. "Be like Gabby…she's not 'sped'. Be like Gabby. She's smart!"

"Elena?" Nell's voice cut into her whispers. "Sweetheart, what happened?"

"Mean boy Jack teased me," Elena started to cry. "He says I'm 'sped'. What's 'sped?'"

Nell frowned at the name. Jack was a village boy who took great pleasure in teasing Elena and Gabby. He'd been on their cases ever since they were little. And he had only gotten worse when he learned that Elena had autism. Her fingers curled into fists at the horrible words Elena was repeating.

Bobby Lee also frowned at the word. However, he kept his temper in check as he explained, "Well, sweetheart, sped's a really mean name for people who are just a little slower than others. It means 'special education'. And there are some people who need extra help when they do things. But that doesn't mean that they can be teased because of it."

As they listened to the conversation, Sofia and Amber were stunned. They never knew that four-year-olds could be that cruel, using horrible words and names like that on others.

"Sofia, I'm sorry about every time we fought," Amber whispered. "I'm also sorry about how I acted when you first came to the castle."

"Amber, I forgave you for that a long time ago," Sofia whispered back. "And any time we fought, you always learned a lesson, which you remembered."

Elena started crying again and hugged Snow White, taking comfort in her kitty's soft purring. She stroked Snow White's back and smiled a little as she nuzzled her.

"Don't cry, Mommy," Snow White purred. "It's going to be okay." (Elena and the family couldn't hear her, but Sofia could, and she gave her an approving nod and smile.)

"Elena, do you know what Daddy and I always tell you?" Nell asked, trying to keep her temper in check.

"It's not a race with Gabby. Take my time and do things my own way," Elena recited.

"That's right. But I want you to remember this," Nell said as she hugged her. "You are special. Not the way Jack thinks, but to us, you are an amazing person and we love you."

Elena sniffled and looked up at her mother. "Why boys mean?" she asked.

"Well, I'm a boy and I'm not mean," Bobby Lee assured her.

"Anymore!" Nell smirked, then explained to the girls, "From the time we were five until we were eight, Daddy teased me all the time. But he never once made me cry!"

"I teased you because I like you?" Bobby Lee smiled innocently.

"Sure you did," Nell rolled her eyes. "You just keep telling yourself that!"

"And James and I tease each other sometimes," Amber agreed. "Once in a while he pulls pranks on me, but Sofia and I manage to get him back and teach him a lesson."

"But we know it's all in good fun," Sofia added, grinning as she remembered chasing James around the castle and they'd all end up laughing in a heap on the ground.

"And you've got friends to stand by you, Elena," Gabby spoke up. "I won't tease you. I'll stay with you until the end of preschool!"

"That's my girl!" Bobby Lee grinned, tossing her up, then letting her stand with Elena.

"Me next!" Elena giggled for the first time since leaving preschool.

"Okay!" Bobby Lee tossed her up.

"You're doing the right thing, Gabby," Sofia smiled when Bobby Lee set her on the ground again. "But I think Elena should talk to someone before Jack's teasing gets worse."

"Tattle-tale on Jack?" Gabby asked.

"Exactly," Sofia nodded.

"No!" Elena cried out. "Tattling bad!" She never liked being a bad guy, and she was afraid of what might happen if she had to do something she didn't want to do.

"Not in this case," Amber started. "Tattling's going to be acceptable."

"Amber's right," Nell agreed. "Tattling is like getting even with someone. Elena, you're not tattling; you're defending yourself. You don't want Jack to get away with this, do you?"

"No…" Elena hesitated.

"Well, the four of us are going to go to your teacher, and we'll tell her about it. Hopefully, Jack and his father will still be at preschool, and we'll tell them everything you're telling us," Bobby Lee told her.

"Okay," Elena handed Snow White to Sofia. "Can you take care of Snow White while I'm gone?"

"Of course," Sofia smiled.

She and Amber watched as Nell, Bobby Lee, Elena, and Gabby went back to the village. They knew Elena was going to do the right thing.

They came back a while later, and Sofia and Amber were happy to see Elena smiling. "How'd it go?" Sofia greeted them.

"We did everything we said," Nell smiled. "Elena told the teacher and the principal about everything Jack and his friends said and did. Jack of course tried to pull that 'I'm the principal's son' card again, but his father was standing right beside him. I don't know what's going to happen to him tonight, but we got to watch as Jack got his mouth washed out with soap for using language like that!"

"Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap," Bobby Lee started reciting a passage from his favorite holiday movie. "My personal preference was for Lux, but I found Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor. Heady, with just a touch of mellow smoothness…Lifebuoy on the other hand…"

"Robert!" Nell couldn't help but laugh, recalling that he had said that when Jack had the soap in his mouth.

"Okay, but if he succumbs to soap poisoning, don't say I didn't warn you!" Bobby Lee chuckled. "But in all seriousness, we learned that Jack is going to sit next to the teacher's desk for the rest of the school year."

"What about his friends?" Amber asked.

"They're all going to be at different tables now," Nell explained. "Jack was a kind of leader figure for their group, and now that he's out, the group's disbanding. It's not much, but it's a start."

"We also learned that Jack's being sentenced to act like Elena for a month," Bobby Lee added. "He has to act slower than what he's comfortable with, and ask for extra help, even if he knows how to do something."

The next day, Elena and Gabby were smiling as they came back from preschool. Everything had gone the way Nell and Bobby Lee had said. The four of them went to visit Snow White in the stable, and Elena told her about everything that had happened.

"Yay! Mommy's happy again!" Snow White cheered, rubbing against her.

"Thank you, Mommy, Daddy, and Gabby!" Elena smiled.

Nell and Bobby Lee hugged her. "You're welcome, sweetheart," Nell smiled.

"We stand together!" Gabby agreed.

"Yes we do!" Elena hugged her as Snow White purred between them.


	12. All kinds of love

Chapter Twelve: All kinds of love

Siblings: Sofia and James.

Setting: Evening after Princess Jade.

As Elena and Gabby's giggles with Bobby Lee and Nell gently mocking flying horses reached her bedroom, Sofia gently closed the door to her room before shaking her head in amusement.

She had quite a day at Royal Prep, kind of thankful that Jade wasn't a princess. Though she could sense disappointment in James.

Granted, she didn't see it on his face but she could tell that it was bothering him.

"Maybe I should talk to James about it," Sofia muttered as she left the room.

"Watch for Sofia girls!" Bobby Lee softly chuckled before turning to Sofia. "James is in the stables."

"Why?" Sofia wondered in surprise.

"We don't know. All we know is that he came home upset about someone with the name Jade," Nell replied as Elena drooled on her hair.

Sofia thanked Nell with a smile who turned to Bobby Lee, muttering that something was up.

"James everything okay?" Sofia wondered as she came into the stables.

James looked up from his spot in the stable before shaking his head.

"I-I think I'm in love with your friend Jade," James muttered, blushing softly in embarrassment. "When you believed that she was a princess, I thought it would give me an opportunity to talk to her more, to know her as something more than one of your friends from the village."

Sofia smiled softly, sitting beside him. "James, even if Jade isn't a princess you can still talk and get to know her and yes I missed seeing Mrs. Cando everyday at the village school but at least for a moment, I felt like I never left Mrs. Cando's class."

"Wow!" James gasped with a smile. "I never know Mrs. Cando was your teacher before RPA!"

"I know! Nell and Bobby Lee had her when they were my age!" Sofia recalled with a smile.

"I just I don't know what to say to Jade to be honest," James muttered, blushing again. "How does Bobby Lee do it?"

"Why didn't you ask him before?" Sofia wondered in shock.

"I didn't want to bother him," James said, feeling ashamed.

"How come?" Sofia wondered in surprise.

"He seems busy with Nell and the twins anyways," James answered as Sofia took his hand. "You think I should talk to him don't you?"

"Of course!" Sofia giggled, standing up.

James smiled, taking her hand in his. "Thanks Sofia. Let's go talk to Bobby Lee."

Sofia and James walked out of the stables and back into the castle as Bobby Lee gently rocked Gabby who sucked on her pacifier.

"James what is it?" Bobby Lee wondered, seeing him and Sofia.

"Sabrina! Madeline! Get into your nightgowns!" Amber yelled as Sofia ran, wanting to help her before things got too dramatic.

"Um Bobby Lee when was the first time you um knew that you liked Nell?" James asked, a blush beginning to form on his face.

"First time?" Bobby Lee wondered as Gabby looked at them, sucking away.

"Yes. I um have a crush on a girl," James muttered in embarrassment.

"Oh. Is she a royal?"

"No she's one of Sofia's village friends and she looks brilliant in her new glasses!"

"Well James it wasn't until I was eight that I felt a little weird towards Helen. We were friends at the time but it wasn't until I got older that I realized that I was crushing on her," Bobby Lee recalled with a smile. "Listen get to know this friend of Sofia's a little better and maybe when you're older like me you two would probably be the most amazing couple. Next to me and Helen of course."

James laughed, hugging the older boy close before remembering that Gabby was in his arms, backing away from her gently "Thanks Bobby Lee for the talk and oh Bobby Lee you do know I'm also training to be a knight? I passed my test!"

"Well congratulations on your passing of being a knight!" Bobby Lee cheered as Gabby looked confused. "I remember my excitement upon passing the test of being a junior guard for the first time."

"What was it like?" James wondered with a smile.

"Brilliant!" Bobby Lee laughed before hearing Gabby whimper. "Gab gab you're okay. Everything is alright honey."

"Want me to help?" James wondered, seeing Gabby spit out her pacifier.

"Thank you James. I would really appreciate it," Bobby Lee said as Gabby started to fuss.

James took Gabby in his arms, bouncing her up and down before the infant grabbed his hair.

"She's showing you love!" Bobby Lee chuckled before taking a sleeping Gabby and placed her in her crib. "James, I'm happy that you're in love but please do treat Sofia's friend with respect."

James smiled, chuckling a little. "Um Bobby Lee I already met Jade and Ruby when they were at the castle for the first time back when Sofia was still new to royal life. And we'll I'm starting to like Jade but I want to have a life long friendship with her."

"We understand that well James!" Nell laughed, a sleeping Elena on her shoulder.

"You do?" James wondered in shock.

"Yes. There's all sorts of love around us James but sometimes you have to work with love to really get it," Nell explained, placing Elena in her crib. "I'm sure that you want to tell Sofia about this so go on! We're not stopping you!"

James blushed softly, beaming to himself before turning to Nell and Bobby Lee. "Thank you both. For everything."


	13. Watching Elena

Chapter Thirteen: Watching Elena

Setting: After chapter six of the mystery of the missing mementos.

Siblings: Madeline and Elena.

Looking after her niece wasn't something that she wanted to spend her whole week doing but eight year old Madeline knew that she had to follow her sister Nell's punishment.

So maybe she got angry with Elena at times and yelled and screamed at her sometimes to be normal but to Madeline being around the three year old made her sick.

"It's not fair!" Madeline pouted as Sabrina helped her get ready. "Elena's a little nosy baby! Why do I have to help her?"

"You're not helping her Madeline. You're being a friend to her," Sabrina sighed, getting annoyed with her twin sister's fussing.

Madeline frowned as she took up the dolly Elena wanted to play with. Along with being sentenced to play with her for the week, she also had to write her a letter of apology. She had refused to do it, and so she was not only denied dessert that whole week, but Nell and Bianca wouldn't let her leave the table until she wrote it, the only exception being if she needed to use the potty. Finally, after several hours and several drafts, she had given the letter to Nell to read to her and Elena.

"That was very nice of you, Madeline," Nell had said.

"Thank you, Nell," Madeline had replied, "I'm good at phony apologies."

She almost wished she hadn't said that. Her little sarcastic comment made her sentence grow to going to bed an hour earlier than Sabrina for the week.

"No dessert, early bedtime, and playing with a stupid baby all week! I'm being punished enough!" she pouted.

"You're not being punished. Think of this as an opportunity to be friends with your niece," Bobby Lee said as Gabby looked down at her feet. "I would speak more but Gab Gab had a little accident in bed this morning so I gotta go help your sister clean her up once Elena's finished with her feelings puzzle."

"Elena probably caused her to do it," Madeline grumbled, frowning as she heard Elena and Nell laugh together. "Sister stealer.."

"Madeline Elizabeth, you know that's not true," Bianca said as she came up to check on her. "Helen Genevieve was thrust into the world of motherhood against her will. She had no say in the matter."

"And I don't have any say in this?" Madeline retorted.

"We heard you say plenty about it," Nell said as she and Elena came in. "And you know you agreed to go along with helping Elena all week."

"But that was before I knew you wouldn't let me have dessert and go to bed early!" Madeline threw the doll on the bed.

"Dolly!" Elena giggled.

She grabbed the doll and hugged it close to her as Gabby looked up with tears in her eyes.

"I pun is too Mommy?" Gabby asked with a sniff.

"No no Gabby. You just had an accident that's all," Nell assured her with a smile as Madeline growled at the affection she was given.

Two years of her life were taken away by three older men. It wasn't fair in the slightest that Elena and Gabby got away with being adorable and innocent.

"You think you're so cute and special. Just wait til you're my age!" Madeline pouted as she threw some doll clothes at Elena.

"Madeline Elizabeth! You pick those up and hand them gently to Elena Lydia!" Bianca scolded, having seen what had just happened.

"NO!" Madeline shouted, "Everyone takes her side on everything! She has an accident on my birdie for school and won't say sorry! Her stupid Kitty gets stolen and everyone drops what they do and looks for it!"

"I heard what happened about your bird," Bianca nodded, "It was only an accident, and your teacher let you make a new one. And we did find Kitty; it was part of Cedric's treasure hunt."

"Elena could have said she's sorry, but she didn't!" Madeline scowled. "She thinks she's so special!"

"Auntie Madeline!" Elena squealed, coming over and hugging her.

"Spoiled little niece. That's what you are," Madeline muttered under as breath.

"Elena, be good my Love Bug!" Nell laughed, kissing Elena on the check.

"Where you and Daddy go Mommy?" Elena wondered in confusion. "Gabby got her leg thingy?"

Because of being bitten by Rex, Gabby couldn't walk like she once did, slowly taking therapy to get that torn muscle back into shape.

"Remember, Gabby Anna, when you climb the stairs, go down with the bad leg and up with the good one," Bianca gave her the same instructions she heard Baileywick give James when he suffered a sprained ankle once.

"She always does," Bobby Lee smiled. "That was good advice Baileywick had, and it's worked really well."

"Gabby Anna will be healed before we know it," Bianca smiled. "She practices regularly and she makes progress after every session."

"She does indeed," Nell smiled. "Madeline, while we're gone, would you please help Elena with her feelings puzzle?"

"Sure," Madeline grumbled, wiping away Elena's kiss from her cheek. "Get Gabby cleaned up and well I hope she has fun."

"We hope so to. Though Gab Gab is always tired after a session," Bobby Lee recalled, believing that it had to do with the extra energy the little girl used during her sessions.

When she and Elena were alone, Madeline sighed as she picked up the doll clothes she'd thrown. She absently picked up Elena's feelings puzzle and put the sad face on it before handing it to her. She put it and Elena's dolly on her lap and sat down with a picture book.

"When will Elena stop faking this?" she muttered. "Why can't she be normal?"

Elena unfortunately had overheard Madeline's cruel words, staring at her dolly in disbelief before hugging it tightly as she looked at her aunt.

"Auntie Sabrina doesn't say stuff like that," Elena said with a quivering lip. "Why you mean?"

Madeline sighed as she saw Miss Bianca come over to her. Now she was in for it. "Miss Bianca, Elena, I'm sorry," she murmured sincerely as the older woman came up to her.

"As well you should be, Madeline Elizabeth," Bianca scolded. "Neither of us knew that Elena Lydia was autistic for a long time. Your mother had no idea this would happen. You didn't know this would happen, did you?"

"No," Madeline sniffled. She saw that Elena was starting to cry, and, not knowing what else to do, pulled her close. "I'm sorry, Elena. You're not faking it. I watch you with Nell and I get mad because you take all her time."

Bianca nodded. "That's good, dear; now is there another reason you act like that around her?"

"Why?" Elena wondered with a sniff, taking Madeline's hand in hers.

The eight year old was surprised, remembering Nell once saying that Elena had trouble with the emotions of others.

"I used to be the baby of the family," Madeline admitted. "Nell said that even though Sabrina and I are twins, she was born first. I liked the extra attention."

"I see," Bianca nodded. "Well, Gabby's younger than Elena, and she's getting a little extra attention now, but that's to help her recover from her injury."

"But Nell never has time for me and Sabrina now," Madeline said as Elena picked up her feelings puzzle.

"Auntie Madeline play?" Elena asked with a smile.

"No! I don't want to play with you!" Madeline yelled, holding up a hand before Bianca grabbed it.

"Madeline Elizabeth O'Malley, the terms of your punishment state that you are to play with Elena Lydia! You are to keep her company and do what she likes!" she said sternly.

"But I don't like what she likes!" Madeline protested.

"You could learn to like what she likes," Bianca started. "I actually saw you tinkering with her feelings puzzle."

Madeline looked down at the puzzle's sad face. Even though she herself wasn't autistic, it had actually helped her relax a little. "I guess so..." she admitted.

"See? Now Elena Lydia, baby, go get some of your toys okay?" Bianca suggested with a smile.

"All my toys?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Just the dollies," Madeline muttered, smiling a little at her niece.

"I like dollies!" Elena cheered.

"What do you know, I like dollies too!" Madeline admitted.

"Well, now that you two have found a common ground, you can go from there," Bianca smiled.

Madeline modded as Elena stared at the wall, flapping her arms excitedly. Normally the eight year old would hit her to get her to stop but knew better.

Remembering how Elena had scraped her knees from trying to find Kitty, Madeline kept the rising hand low, not wanting to be scolded again.

"Elena, how does dolly feel about me playing with you?" Madeline asked.

Elena smiled and reached for her feelings puzzle. She found the happy face and replaced the sad face Madeline had put on it. "She's happy!" she giggled. "Auntie Madeline is a new friend!"

"That's nice," Bianca smiled. "You see, Madeline Elizabeth? You can learn something from Elena Lydia."

Madeline smiled back as she stroked Elena's hair. "I guess I can." She frowned, remembering the last time she and Elena actually played together.

It was just before Elena had been diagnosed with autism two years ago. Madeline didn't complain to Nell about it but had been concerned about Elena.

She was brought back by a little voice. "Madeline, tell me a story?"

Madeline looked around for one of Elena's picture books. "How about this one?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Elena clapped her hands.

"And maybe later, we can ask James if we can borrow one of his folders. You like his Andrew stories, right?" Madeline asked.

"Yeah!" Elena cheered.

"That's a wonderful idea," Bianca agreed. "And while it's true that James couldn't help you write your letter, he did say that you could read the girls some of his stories."

"Auntie Madeline sad?" Elena asked, seeing that Madeline was about to burst into tears.

"Elena, I'm sorry!" Madeline sobbed, feeling Elena hug her close. "I just get jealous of you and Gabby. Auntie Sabrina and me, we lost two years of being kids and when we came here with your mommy, we had to learn again. And it was hard. Very hard. Sometimes I get scared at night and really want to see Nell before remembering that she's married now and Bobby Lee wouldn't understand-"

"Of course he would Madeline Elizabeth," Bianca interrupted as she stroked Madeline's hair. "He spent two years of his life training and working hard just to see you and your sisters again. When he and the rest of King Roland's junior guards found you, it was the happiest day of his life."

"Really?" Madeline asked.

"He told me so the very first night he was reunited with all of you," Bianca told her. "He said he'd never let any of you out of his sight again and he'd never leave your side for anything."

"But what if we had to use the potty?" Madeline asked.

"Then he'd wait outside until you were done," Bianca smiled.

"Or what if we had to change clothes?" Madeline asked.

"Again, he'd wait outside your rooms," Bianca smiled.

"What about when we were in Mommy's tummy?" Elena wondered, knowing that her daddy was around during that time.

"Well Elena Lydia, your daddy was very protective of Helen Genevieve during that time!" Bianca recalled with a chuckle.

"What did he do?" Madeline asked, handing Elena one of her dollies.

"He waited on her hand and foot. She couldn't go anywhere without him escorting her someplace, even if it was just to check on her sisters," Bianca replied. "Helen Genevieve got so tired of it one day that she actually shouted, 'Robert, for goodness sake, I'm pregnant, not helpless! Jimmy's rotting in the dungeon and I don't need a 24-hour escort for every little thing!'"

Madeline and Elena giggled, but Madeline remembered playing with Sabrina when Nell had shouted like that.

Nell still made sure to have time for them during those nine months, making Madeline sigh.

"Auntie Madeline sad?" Elena asked, hugging her close.

"Not as sad as I was, I guess..." Madeline admitted. "I'm sorry, Elena. I should have been nicer when Kitty was missing, and I shouldn't have said all that stuff to you."

"I not mad no more," Elena hugged her.

Madeline actually hugged her back. If there was one thing she liked about Elena, it was that she never held a grudge if someone said something mean to her. She might cry a little, but then she'd find something else to do.

"Auntie Madeline play now?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"I play now," Madeline answered with a smile.

"That's my girls," Bianca smiled. "And while you play, would you like a story?"

"Yeah!" Madeline cheered.

"Dolly story!" Elena requested.

Bianca smiled. Elena was talking about James' first gold star story, and since he had read it to her, that one had become her favorite one of his stories, along with the one about the dog. "I think that's a good idea," she said as she took the folder up. "I also heard that James is writing a new story with the two of you, Sabrina Marie, and Gabby Anna as his helpers. When that one's been written, he'll have to read it to you."

Elena smiled as Madeline played dolls with her. Her mind noticed that it had been a long time since Madeline was that nice to her, having Elena hug her aunt before letting out a small yawn.

"Nap time Elena Lydia?" Bianca asked, stopping herself from where she had been reading.

"No sleepy!" Elena poured with another yawn.

"Okay, sweetheart, now say that without yawning," Bianca smiled.

"Okay...no sleepy..." Elena yawned and leaned against Madeline's shoulder.

"You want me to put her to bed, Miss Bianca?" Madeline asked as she picked her up.

"I'll help you, sweetheart," Bianca smiled as they took Elena up and carried her to bed.

"Madeline nap nap with me?" Elena murmured.

"Eight year olds don't nap nap!" Madeline's thoughts were screaming as Madeline blocked them, staring at Elena's innocent blue eyes.

"Please?" Elena asked, reaching out to grab what Madeline was wearing around her neck.

"Maybe for a minute, but don't touch my necklace," Madeline agreed, "Mr. Cedric made a copy of Mommy's necklace for me and Sabrina. If you ask him real nice, he'll make one for you."

"That's a wonderful idea, sweetheart," Bianca smiled.

"Mr. Magic man?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Yes Mr. Cedric!" Madeline answered with a chuckle, feeling a tug from Elena.

"I think he'd love making a necklace for you when he's finished with Princess Sofia's magic lesson," Bianca agreed. "Now, Elena Lydia, let's get you tucked in with Kitty, and you can have your nap."

"Okay...Auntie Madeline?" Elena asked as she leaned against her.

"I'm here, Elena," Madeline smiled as she and Bianca led her to her room.

Madeline had almost cried upon seeing Elena and Gabby's nursery as she realized that the infant that she played with often before her autism wasn't a baby any more.

She was a smart three year old that the eight year old had treated horribly.

"Madeline Elizabeth?" Bianca asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm okay, Miss Bianca," Madeline said quickly.

"You know if you want to talk about anything, I'm right here for you. Your sisters and Robert Lee are also here for you," Bianca said as they tucked Elena in.

"Okay," Madeline smiled as she curled up next to Elena. She kissed her as she fell asleep. "I love you, Elena."

"Love you, Auntie Madeline," Elena whispered.

As Elena fell asleep, Madeline softly started to cry as Bianca hugged her as a way of comforting the eight year old.

"You feel guilty for the way you treated Elena don't you?" Bianca guessed with a smile.

"I guess," Madeline sniffed, wiping her nose. "Her autism just made me angry."

"I know it's frustrating at times, sweetheart, but it's something we're all still learning about," Bianca assured her. "Like King Roland said to your father, we'll learn together, one day at a time."

"Okay," Madeline agreed. She giggled at Bianca's mistake. "Bobby Lee's my brother in law, not Daddy!"

"Well am I embarrassed!" Bianca chuckled, feeling a little tug. "Gabby Anna! Where's your mommy and daddy young lady?!"

"Behind me," Gabby smiled at Elena and Madeline. She yawned and went over to the bed.

"We just got back from Gabby's physical therapy," Nell said as she and Bobby Lee came in. "Once again, Gabby showed incredible progress. Like you say, she'll be healed before we know it."

"And you're right," Bobby Lee agreed. "All she has to do is take it one day at a time."

"Mommy Auntie Madeline and Elena friends?" Gabby wondered in surprise, seeing the two snuggled up together.

"It's been a long time since they were friends honey," Nell mused with a smile, tucking Gabby in.

"They be friends again?" Gabby asked.

"I'm sure they will. They just need to take it-all together now!" Bianca smiled, and Nell and Bobby Lee said with her, "One day at a time!"

"Is that forever?" Gabby asked with a yawn.

"No. Not that long Gab Gab," Bobby Lee assured her with a kiss on the forehead.

"Just like with you, they need to take their time," Bianca agreed. "Friendships aren't formed in a day."

Madeline woke up a little bit and asked, "Gabby, when Elena's done with her nap, you want to play with us?"

"Okay," Gabby smiled as she curled up on Madeline's other side, just like she and Elena had done with James once, and fell asleep.

"Five more days of this for Madeline Elizabeth, but they'll fly by," Bianca murmured as she, Nell, and Bobby Lee found blankets and put them over the sleeping girls.

Nell smiled at the image in front of her, having last seen something like this when the girls were babies as tears appeared in her eyes.

"Helen?" Bobby Lee wondered, putting an arm around her. "Is everything alright?"

"I haven't seen the three of them together in so long. The last time was before Elena was diagnosed with her autism. I still wonder what I did wrong to split up a friendship because of her being diagnosed," Nell choked, trying to hold back tears.

"You didn't do anything wrong, sweetheart," Bianca assured her. "Madeline Elizabeth said that she was jealous of the attention Elena Lydia and Gabby Anna got from you and that you spent all your time with them. She wanted it to be like old times with you, Sabrina Marie, and herself. And you didn't have anything to do with Elena Lydia being diagnosed with autism. It's just one of those unfortunate things that just happens."

"You know she's right, Helen," Bobby Lee agreed. "None of that was your fault."

"Thank you," Nell said, stroking Madeline's hair. "I guess I can set aside my time to do O'Malley sister day just like we did often when I was with the girls. Of course now that I'm married it'll have to be called Johnson/O'Malley sister day."

Madeline immediately stirred at that moment, not believing her ears.

"You mean it?" Madeline asked in surprise. "No Elena? No Gabby? No grown up stuff?"

"No, Madeline," Nell smiled, "Just the three of us. But if you want, we can let Elena and Gabby in on it, but only if you really want them."

"Maybe this time with me and Sabrina, but if you want to do it again, let Elena and Gabby in on it," Madeline agreed.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Nell smiled. She then smirked at her little sister. "You usually protest if the girls are involved. What's gotten into you?"

"I guess Sofia's rubbed off on me a little. I've heard her stories, Nell and she's helped many people see the light so to speak. Mr. Cedric and the creator of the Nettle Drops used to be bad but because of Sofia they're good now!" Madeline giggled, hugging her sister close. "I guess I kept thinking like Sofia a little and tried to wrong my jealousy."

"That's good to hear, and I hope this experience teaches you a lesson," Nell smiled.

"Believe me, Nell, it will," Madeline assured her. She looked at her sister and brother in law. "Am I still in trouble? Because I like playing with Elena now."

"We'll see Madeline!" Bobby Lee chuckled with a smile.

"How about this? If you're on your best behavior and don't give me, Bianca, or Elena any trouble tomorrow, then we'll talk about reducing your punishment," Nell started.

"All of it?" Madeline asked.

"Well, I think we'll have to wait on some parts, but if you behave all day, you can have dessert again," Nell replied.

"Okay!" Madeline cheered. She hugged Nell again, seeing her nieces start to wake up. "Nell, they hear us."

"Madeline, they're heavy sleepers but will wake up to the ones the love," Nell explained with a smile before seeing Madeline jump. "Madeline what is it?"

"You want to play with us after Elena and Gabby take a nap?" Madeline asked.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Nell smiled.


	14. Sneaks and situations

Chapter Fourteen: Sneaks and situations

Setting: Two years after chapter one of Autism.

Siblings: Sofia, Amber, and James.

"That's odd," Sofia muttered, putting a hand on her chin as Gabby tugged at her dress.

"What's odd?" James smirked with a smile. "Gabby tugging or Amber trying to teach Elena how to say tea."

"No. Not that. I've never heard Nell or Bobby Lee argue like they are before. I'm surprised that the whole kingdom isn't hearing it," Sofia muttered as James followed suit with putting a hand on his chin.

It had started with a simple "Excuse us" from the dinner table that morning, reminding the siblings that everyone, including themselves, needed a private talk every now and again.

The siblings did however hear bits and pieces of dialogue from Nell and Bobby Lee before pushing it off, watching Elena and Gabby while Florence helped Sabrina with a dress and Bianca helping Madeline with her needs.

"Come on! You know party now say tea!" Amber encouraged with a smile, having Elena look up at her with confusion.

"Party! Party!" Elena chanted, dancing around the room.

"Yes, Elena, it's a tea party!" Amber smiled. "Say tea party!"

"Dee party!" Elena cheered, clapping her hands.

"Close, Elena," Amber smiled.

Meanwhile, Nell and Bobby Lee were having a strongly worded conversation in their room.

"You want to shelter her?" Bobby Lee asked with crossed arms. "You'll just delay her progress! Her development while she's in toddlerhood depends on the both of us!"

"I just want her safe! This world of hers is as new to me as it is to everyone else!" Nell stressed, her eyes narrowed. "She needs a routine each day! I can't change the routine or else she'll have a fit!"

"Mother and Bianca and Queen Miranda gave you parenting books for a reason Helen and you're just not making any sense on how to raise Elena!" Bobby Lee growled, taking deep breaths to control himself.

"There's nothing in any of the books about autism!" Nell sighed. "How can we adjust the rules to fit what Elena needs to know?"

"So we find new books that deal with autism," Bobby Lee tried to keep his voice even.

The last thing they needed was to be scolded by their loved ones by arguing. Yet it was a serious issue that they themselves were trying to handle alone.

Sure they had some help and Elena was doing her best with walking, rarely crawling like she used to but it still terrified Nell and Bobby Lee while thinking of Elena's best interest.

"New books! Is that all you seem to care about?!" Nell asked with a hiss. "Next thing that'll happen is you protecting her from any and all danger!"

"I know, but there are a lot of people out there that will say things," Bobby Lee admitted. "They'll make Elena's life miserable, they'll call her names, and criticize us for how we're raising her."

"But you know, Robert, if they want to make fun of Elena, they'll have to go through us first!" Nell said firmly, with the challenging glare she always got when someone was giving her and her family a hard time.

Bobby Lee managed to smile. There was the spark he had always admired in Helen!

That didn't mean that he was still upset with her, hearing a polite knock fill the room. Getting it, he tried to apologize as he saw Sofia, Amber, and James standing in the doorway.

"You two have been arguing with each other since you've excused yourselves from breakfast this morning," Sofia reminded as Elena walked on wobbly legs to Nell.

"Mama!" Elena giggled, hugging her legs.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Amber offered.

"I'm sorry, you three," Nell sighed, but she smiled as she picked up Elena. "I didn't mean to make you upset about our problems too."

"We're not upset; this autism thing is new to us as well," Sofia assured them.

"Teaching Elena to talk and walk has been challenging," Amber admitted as Gabby looked at her.

"Amber pretty!" Gabby giggled, trying to grab Amber's tiara. "Share tiara?"

"Unlike her sister who's a little chatterbox!" James chuckled with a smile. "Not to mention she can beat us all in a race if she could!"

"Chase James!" Gabby giggled, running after him.

James couldn't help but laugh. "And with that, I'm out of here!"

Nell and Bobby Lee couldn't help but laugh as they watched Gabby chase James. They could always count on James to cheer them up.

"But seriously, what are we going to do?" Nell asked. "Bianca told me that some of her friends are so gossipy! They'll say the first thing that comes to their minds, and that scares me to death!"

"What is it Miranda always says? If someone doesn't like something, that's their problem?" Bobby Lee asked.

"That's exactly what Mom says!" Sofia chuckled with a smile "She told me that when I first came to live at the castle."

"And me when I found out I was going to be a mommy," Nell remembered with a sigh. "I was so upset when I found out just a week after being rescued."

"Believe us, Helen, it was a surprise for all of us," Bobby Lee admitted, "But you got through the pregnancy without any problems, and you delivered two beautiful little girls that I'm proud to call my daughters."

"And I love them no matter what anyone says," Nell agreed.

"Then that's what you can tell people who say things," Bobby Lee smiled, watching as the girls all ganged up on James.

"Dogpile?" Sofia joked with a smile.

"No Sofia. It's not just one girl that's ganged up on him!" Amber chuckled as Elena and Gabby hugged James' legs.

"This didn't go the way I planned!" James laughed under the girls, "Help!"

"Sure, if you help give us some ideas on how we can raise Elena," Bobby Lee said as he mussed James' hair.

Nell smiled. She needed a little silly break, but what she was thinking of was no laughing matter.

Still silly breaks always kept her mind at ease, matter what the trouble.

"May you please help us?" Nell asked with a laugh. "I would join them but I'm too big!"

"First we look up some information," Bobby Lee smiled. "We should learn what kind of things Elena needs to learn for her development."

"Like toys?" Sofia asked.

"Toys are a good start," Nell smiled.

"Picture books too," Amber suggested.

"That's a brilliant idea," James agreed as the girls let him up. "I remember Amber always said I made up stories with the pictures in our books when we were little."

"Kitty!" Elena yelled, running over to Clover and hugging him.

"Elena no kitty!" Gabby yelled, trying to put Clover down.

"I come in to check on you, Sof, and I end up being mauled by a toddler," Clover grumbled.

"Go to my room, Clover, I'll be with you as soon as I can," Sofia whispered.

Clover was only too happy to wriggle out of Elena's arms and escape to the safety of Sofia's room.

"Kitty!" Elena called, "Kitty!"

"You can see Sofia's bunny in a little while, Elena; we need to get some things for you first," Nell said as she picked her up.

"She looks ready to start crying," Amber muttered, seeing Elena's lip quiver.

"Oh where oh where has my little kitty gone? Oh where oh where can he be?" James sung, hoping it would calm her down.

"Kitty song?" Elena smiled a little through her tears.

"And just like that..." James waved his hands, and produced Kitty from behind his back. "Kitty's here!"

"Kitty!" Elena squealed, taking her in her arms.

"Good move, James," Nell smiled.

"You calmed her down!" Sofia laughed with a smile.

"All in a day's work!" James chuckled as Bobby Lee messed up his hair.

"How's that phrase go again, music makes everything better?" Nell smiled. "But how will music fix the problems we're going to face?"

"How does your phrase go again, we'll take this one day at a time?" Amber countered with a smile.

"You know what? You're right!" Nell smiled. "But what sort of things can we do for Elena right now? And I don't know if Gabby knows about her having autism. We'll have to teach her about this too."

"Maybe she already knows?" Bobby Lee joked with a smile. "I always give Helen an extra hour of sleep and wake up the girls myself. The first thing I hear is them babbling away in twin speak before they start standing up."

"And call you Da da?" Nell guessed with a laugh.

"The first time she called me that, I broke down right there!" Bobby Lee pretended to wipe away a tear. "It was so cute, Gabby took my hand and said 'Don't cry Dada.' then she kissed me when you came in!"

"I remember that," Nell smiled.

"And Elena said 'da-da-da-da'. That was just as cute!" Bobby Lee smiled.

"At least they got to know you that way," Nell agreed.

"I think that's her favorite word besides Mommy and Kitty!" Sofia chuckled with a smile.

"Da da!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down.

"Hey! I thought you were a mommy's girl!" Nell playfully pouted with a smile.

"Love mama?" Elena smiled.

"That's what I thought!" Nell grinned.

"Let's see if the library has any books for Elena," Sofia suggested with a smile. "But with lots of pictures."

Gabby giggled in agreement, jumping up and down excitedly.

"These are all wonderful ideas," Nell smiled. "I'm so glad you three stuck your noses in our business!"

"It's what we do," James smiled.

Nell and Bobby Lee mussed his hair as they led the way to the library to find the books.

"Oh! Books on princess manners!" Amber laughed with a smile.

"Amber! We're looking for books for Elena, not you!" James groaned in annoyance.

"Elena can learn princess manners too," Amber smiled.

"First things first, Amber, let's learn about autism, then maybe Elena can learn princess things," Bobby Lee smiled.

Amber agreed though she grumbled about the decision as Sofia found a self labeled Disabilities.

Maybe it included a book on autism for Elena to look at the pictures and for her mother to understand.

"How about this one?" Sofia suggested, looking up from the book she was reading, "It says here that animals can also be used as a part of autism treatment."

"Well, we were certainly right about using Clover," Bobby Lee joked.

"That's not a bad idea, but I think maybe we should use James's dog instead of Sofia's bunny," Nell suggested, looking at the book Sofia found. "Dogs and horses are more commonly used in therapies like this."

"Why not?" James agreed. "I'll stay with Jagger while Elena works with him, just like I promised I would when I first got him."

"And he is being trained as a therapy dog," Bobby Lee agreed.

"Doggie bad!" Gabby cried.

"No, honey, James' doggie is good," Nell assured her. "He's trained Jagger so well, and you were actually petting him after your adventure on that horse."

Gabby smiled a little, remembering how quiet and still Jagger was while she had cried in his fur. He had licked her and James to calm them down. "Jaggy's a good doggie?" she asked.

"Yes, he's a very good doggie," Nell smiled. "And now he can be trained as Elena's therapy doggie."

"That's a good idea," James agreed.

"Doggie?" Elena asked in confusion. "Doggie help?"

"Yes sweetheart. He's going to help," Bobby Lee assured her with a smile, taking her in his arms.

"I like doggie!" Elena smiled.

"And doggie likes you," James smiled. He messed with her hair. "And we love you too."

"Games! Games!" Elena giggled much to his disappointment.

"Sure, we can play games with Jagger," James smiled.

"What kind of games?" Nell asked.

"Dress up!" Elena giggled.

"Sure, Jagger is quite fashionable!" James grinned, Amber nodding in agreement.

"What else does the book say?" Sofia wondered before Bobby Lee stopped at a page.

"Children with autism have sensory issues," Bobby Lee read aloud. "That would explain Elena crying or covering her ears."

"Maybe you could try giving her earplugs for something really loud," James suggested from where he was looking at the book. "Or sunglasses for when it's too bright for her."

"Please?" Elena and Gabby asked together.

"Gabby! These aren't for you!" Nell chuckled, picking her up.

"I know but I help Elena," Gabby said, kissing Elena's cheek.

"You know, you're right; you do help," Nell smiled. "You ask Elena how she's feeling every day, and she shows you on her feelings puzzle. That's a big way that you help her. You and James always sing to her, and you're both right; music is a way she expresses herself."

"I do good?" Gabby asked.

"Yes you do!" Nell smiled.

"Kitty song!" Elena cheered, clapping her hands.

"You know if it wasn't for us you two would still be arguing," James muttered, taking Elena by the hand.

"I guess we were pretty silly weren't we?" Nell admitted with a laugh.

"Like we said, sticking our noses where they don't belong and helping others is what we do best!" Sofia smiled.

"You're right Sofia!" Bobby Lee chuckled as Gabby tugged on his pants.

"Daddy, Elena sad," Gabby muttered with a frown.

"I've got this," James said as he took Elena on his lap. He started rocking her as he sang softly, "Pussycat, pussycat, I love you...yes I do...you and your pussycat nose!"

"Kitty!" Elena smiled.

"Thanks, James!" Nell smiled, recognizing Elena's favorite kitty song.

"Music does make her better!" Amber chuckled with a smile.

"I thought of something else," Sofia added, "I remember how Amber likes decorating her room. It says here that pale and neutral colors help keep autistic children calm."

"Bright colors won't work for Elena," Amber agreed, looking at the book. "I can redecorate her room with more muted shades of her favorite colors, since brighter ones might be bad for her."

"And maybe a beanbag chair or soft blanket in a corner," James added, "She can also cuddle up with that big stuffed unicorn I won for her, or the big stuffed bear you bought her."

"Now that you mention that, James, Elena does like cuddling with that bear," Nell smiled.

"And how she tries to bite it in her sleep?" Bobby Lee asked with a chuckle.

"She bites Teddy in her sleep?" Nell asked in surprise.

"I saw her biting Teddy once when she was having a nightmare," Bobby Lee explained, "I rocked her for a while and she calmed right down as I was humming to her."

"That's good," Nell smiled.

"And it was so cute when I told her that she was biting Teddy," Bobby Lee continued, "She went right up to Teddy, and started kissing where she'd bitten him, like she was making him feel better."

Nell smiled. She remembered seeing Elena kiss Teddy and cuddle up with the toy.

People, animals, and toys. Anything she could be gentle with, it was one of the things Nell loved about her little girl.

"I think we've got a good start on things to help Elena," she smiled. "We can start setting her room, and the playroom, up like you suggest, with soft colors, lights, bean bag chairs, and toys. Lots of blankets on the bed and on the playroom floor so she can cuddle up in them."

"Teddy?" Elena asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, we'll get soft toys and teddy bears for you, and Gabby, to play with," Nell agreed. "Amber will be in charge of decorating your rooms, but you can give her ideas on what you want."

"Okay!" Elena agreed before she frowned at the book they were reading. "No pictures?"

"Here's another book, and it's got pictures you might like," Sofia smiled, handing her a book of animals.

"Kitty!" Elena smiled, pointing at a picture of a kitten. "Puppy!" she pointed at a picture of a dog. She looked up at James. "You puppy?"

James looked at the picture. "No, mine's red and white; that one's just red, but that looks really similar to Jagger."

"You puppy friend?" Elena asked.

"Yes, Jagger's my puppy friend, and now he'll be your puppy friend," James smiled as Elena hugged him.


	15. Sibling blues

Chapter Fifteen: Sibling blues

Siblings: Elena and Gabby

Setting A month after chapter seventeen of Family Love

It had been a month since Helen Genevieve "Nell" O'Malley had told her daughters Elena and Gabby that she was going to have another baby. At first the girls had been quite vocal in their displeasure at a new baby, and even more vocal at the idea of having to leave the castle, but they were slowly warming up to the idea of a new baby.

"Baby girl?" Elena asked.

"What's wrong with a baby boy?" Bobby Lee asked.

"We like boys," Gabby smiled as she hugged him.

"Thank you, Gab-Gab," Bobby Lee smiled, "You always know what to say."

"Sister better!" Elena pouted, crossing her arms.

"Elena, Love Bug, I won't know until today," Nell explained with a smile.

"We come? We see sister?" Elena asked with a smile.

"No, this doctor visit is for Daddy and me," Nell shook her head. "But you always find fun things to do here while we're gone."

"I happy we stay!" Elena smiled, hugging her legs.

"I'm happy we're staying too," Nell smiled.

"Nell! Bobby Lee!" they heard three voices call out.

"Sofia, James, Amber, thanks again for baby-sitting while we're gone," Bobby Lee greeted them, mussing their hair as they came in. "We didn't expect Mother and Bianca to get sick, but that cold bug hit them at the same time!"

"It's what happens when they're around sick children!" James chuckled with a smile. "Sabrina and Madeline are at their friends house for some sleepover that I'm sure you know about already."

"Trust me. We do," Nell smirked, turning to Bobby Lee. "Come on. Let's hope to make Elena happy that it's a girl."

"Or not another us!" Gabby shouted, glancing at her parents with big eyes.

"Don't worry; this time we know we're expecting only one," Bobby Lee smiled as he tossed her up in the air.

"But you know good things come two at a time, right?" James asked.

"We love James! We love Amber!" Elena smiled.

"And we love Elena and Gabby," Amber smiled as she and James hugged them.

"Be good!" Nell yelled only to be held in her husband's arms. "Hey! Robert put me down!"

"He's being protective again!" James noticed with a laugh.

"But he marry now!" Elena giggled with a smile.

"Yes I am. Now be good," Bobby Lee said, kissing their cheeks.

"We'll have fun, won't we, girls?" Sofia smiled.

"Play dress-up!" Gabby cheered, running over to Amber's costume chest.

"Kitty song!" Elena shook her head, trying to drag James out of the room to go to the piano.

"How about this: You can have a fashion show?" Sofia suggested. "You can play dress up, and James can play the piano as you show us what kind of outfits you come up with."

"You play dress-up too!" Elena shouted.

"Well, I do remember that my birth mother and I liked putting costumes on James as he played the piano for our fashion shows," Amber smiled.

"And we sometimes got Dad involved," James couldn't help laughing. "Remember the time you put that big hat on him and he had to meet that king right away? He went to the throne room and he was still wearing the hat!"

"Daddy would do that if we made him!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands.

"Mommy too!" Elena added before she frowned. "We better get a sister."

"What's wrong with a brother?" James asked.

"We love you, James," Gabby smiled.

"But I'm not your brother," James pointed out.

"We love you, James," Sofia smiled as she and Amber hugged him.

Elena huffed, crossing her arms as the thought of a sister played in her mind.

…

On their ride in the carriage, Nell frowned slightly as she looked at Bobby Lee in concern.

"If our pride and joy is a boy, Elena will be so disappointed," Nell muttered with a sigh.

"Has she told you why she wants a sister?" Bobby Lee asked with a smile.

"I think she might already be in the 'boys have cooties' phase," Nell half joked, remembering when Bobby Lee was like that, saying she had the fictional childhood disease.

"I'm sorry about all that, Helen," Bobby Lee smiled.

"I bet you are, but let's hope it doesn't take Elena three years to get over the cooties phase if she's in it," Nell said as they arrived at the doctor's.

"It can't hurt to ask her why when we get home, right?" Bobby Lee suggested.

"Right!" Nell laughed as Bobby Lee helped her out of the carriage. "Now please don't make too much noise like the last time we found out what gender for a baby was."

"But I was excited!" Bobby Lee recalled with a pout.

"You nearly hugged the nurse to death and kissed her. You were lucky she only slapped your face!" Nell recalled with a chuckle. "And after you were slapped, she found Gabby much to the surprise of everyone. Including the doctor."

"Wouldn't you be excited about that too?" Bobby Lee asked innocently. When it was discovered that Nell was expecting twins, Bobby Lee had hugged and kissed everyone in the room, and the doctor had to sedate him after the nurse slapped him again.

"Well, yes, but I wouldn't hug and kiss complete strangers!" Nell joined him in laughing as they signed in.

"I know. Only family and of course me!" Bobby Lee chuckled, having Nell mess up his hair. "Hey!"

"Just in case any other young woman tries their way with you," Nell warned with a smile. "Remember we're married."

The nurse looked up and smiled. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. It's good to see you. Dr. Schanz will be with you in a few minutes. Please have a seat and fill out these forms. And I'll tell him to get a sedative ready for your husband."

"Nice to see you too, Nurse Janet," Bobby Lee smirked.

"Don't push your luck Mr. Johnson. We don't another repeat of six years ago," Doctor Janet said with a smile.

Nell chuckled softly as Bobby Lee glared at her.

Fortunately, he was saved from having to say anything, because at that moment, Dr. Schanz came in, and he had another young man with him. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, it's good to see you. I'd like to introduce my intern, Dr. Riker. He's going to be taking over for me when I retire at the end of the year."

Everyone shook hands, and Dr. Schanz got out Nell's medical records. "Everything looks wonderful. You don't smoke or drink, you're doing everything just right."

"That's good," Nell smiled. "Now, I know we agreed to be surprised when we first did this for Elena and Gabby, but this time, we'd like to know the gender."

"Please?" Bobby Lee asked with a smile.

"Okay," Dr. Schanz smiled as he took out an envelope. "Congratulations! You're having a boy!"

Nell and Bobby Lee smiled, but inside, they were worried. Now that they knew what they were having, what were they going to tell the girls about it? Elena had her heart set on another sister, but now that she was going to have a brother, how was she going to react?

"Could you check again?" Bobby Lee asked with desperation. "Elena really wanted a sister."

"A sister?" Nurse Janet asked in surprise before she chuckled. "Doctor, it's like six years ago again. Except she's not having twins, rather you mixed the gender up."

"There's no mistake," Dr. Schanz replied. "She's having a boy."

"And as your second opinion, you're having a boy," Dr. Riker said as he looked at the paper.

As they were leaving, Nell was smiling. "I know this isn't the result we were hoping for, Robert, but just think! We're going to have a son!"

"I know," Bobby Lee couldn't help but smile himself. "Wow. A son! I can take him to work with me every day, and I can train him to be a guard!"

"But what about the girls? How will they react?" Nell asked.

"How's that phrase go again? We'll take it one day at a time," Bobby Lee assured her.

…

"Mommy and Daddy are back!" Gabby yelled, seeing the carriage near the front steps of the castle.

"Sister! Sister! Sister!" Elena giggled, dropping Kitty to the floor as she ran to Nell's arms. "Sister?"

"Elena, Love Bug, you should sit down," Nell said as she half-heartedly returned Elena's hug.

"No sister?" Elena asked, seeing the look on her face.

"You're going to have a brother," Bobby Lee replied. "It's going to be fine, sweetheart. We're still going to love him as much as we love you two."

"NO!" Elena shouted. "I want sister! I want SISTER!" She ran crying from the room.

"Well, that didn't go very well, did it?" Nell sighed.

"No. All I can see Richard Edward Johnson the second getting upon his birth is a smack in the face from Elena," Bobby Lee muttered, putting his hands to his face.

"I think it'll more than that. She'll try some way to have me lose him," Nell grumbled as Gabby put a hand on her stomach.

"I take care of baby brother," Gabby promised.

"That's good, Gabby," Nell sighed.

"But there are some things I want to know," Sofia started. "Why does Elena want a sister so badly?"

"And what do you think Elena would do to make you lose him?" James asked.

"We think it's cooties," Bobby Lee sighed again, putting a hand to his forehead.

"Push me, have me trip. Anything as long as she doesn't have to hear of her little brother," Nell muttered with a groan.

"Ricky good!" Gabby yelled with crossed arms. "Elena bad!"

"Ricky?" Nell managed a smile. "That's a cute nickname for him, sweetheart."

"We know you'll help with him, Gab-Gab," Bobby Lee smiled. "But we're all going to have to keep a close eye on Elena. We'll have to talk to her about this. We need to tell her to be nice to Mommy and your brother."

"And this time I won't mind a guard around me twenty-four hours a day," Nell admitted. She kissed her husband's cheek. "Especially the one I'm married too."

"See Elena?" Gabby asked, looking up at her parents. "Tell her about Ricky."

"There's not much to tell right now, Gabby," Nell admitted. "We just got the news today."

"Will he be guard like Daddy? Or will he like music like James?" Gabby asked.

"We don't know yet, sweetheart," Nell smiled. "He'll find what he likes in his own time."

"It's not a race!" Gabby giggled.

"How about we see Elena now?" Bobby Lee suggested with a smile.

"And cheer her up with a kitty song?" James wondered, hearing the conversation. "Elena didn't take it well."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Nell agreed. "You always know her favorite songs."

"And it's a good thing Princess Elena wrote down the words and music to that My Time song of hers during the visit when Elena did you-know-what," James added. "Elena didn't know I could play it after getting the music that day, but I surprised her; thank you, Mom's ear for music!"

"You have musical ears?" Gabby asked.

"Not exactly," Nell explained, "James can hear a new song and play it back after hearing it once. And do you remember the tea party where he was playing the trumpet part of the song on the piano? He can figure out what one instrument can sound like on another one."

Gabby smiled, taking James to her and Elena's room.

"Baby go away!" Elena cried, throwing Kitty in the air.

"Elena?" Gabby called.

"No baby!" Elena pouted.

"Love Bug, I think we need to talk," Nell said as she and Bobby Lee sat on the bed with her.

"Don't want brother! Want sister!" Elena cried.

"Why do you want a sister, Elena?" Nell asked. "Can you tell us how you feel about it?"

"I want sister because I'm scared that brother will be like mean boy Jack," Elena sniffed, burying her face in Kitty.

"What did he do this time?" Nell asked through gritted teeth.

"He call me names, he make fun of me in Miss Milly's class," Elena sniffled. "He threw toy bugs at me."

"That's right," Gabby muttered. "He threw big toy spider at Elena during story time. Sally and I told Miss Milly while Suzie took Elena to the quiet area to calm down."

"And we're just finding out about this now because..." Nell asked.

"Miss Milly took Jack to the prince-o-pal's office and made him miss a week of outside play time," Gabby explained.

"And now Elena thinks that all boys will be mean like Jack?" Nell asked.

Elena nodded and started crying. "I'm sorry Mommy! I'm a bad girl!"

Nell picked Elena up and started rocking her. "Oh, my sweet little Love Bug," she murmured, "You're not a bad girl at all! I know you were just afraid of the baby turning into a bully like Jack. But baby, listen to me. Listen. That is not going to happen. I promise you, this little boy inside me is not going to be a bully."

"Promise?" Elena asked with a sniff.

"Yes," Bobby Lee assured, though angry with what Jack had done. "What did Jack say to you? What did he do to make fun of you?"

"He threw toy bugs at Elena while we sang Itsy Bitsy Spider during music time. He say it make song more real if we do it with spiders and not our hands," Gabby explained. "He dropped a big toy spider right on her head and made her scream."

"I don't blame her. I'd be screaming too if someone did that to me!" Nell shuddered.

"Miss Milly saw everything Jack did," Gabby continued. "She came up as he was laughing at her and calling her names. She had Suzie and Sally take Elena to the quiet area to calm down while she took Jack to the prince-o-pal's office."

"I'm so glad you two are friends with those little girls," Nell smiled. "They always look out for you."

"And we best friends!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands before frowning again. "But mean spider wasn't all mean boy Jack did."

"What do you mean?" Nell asked, feeling Elena now resting on her stomach.

"He said something bad about you Mommy," Elena muttered, hanging her head.

"What did he say?" Nell asked, balling her hand into a fist.

"Helen, you know stress isn't good for the baby," Bobby Lee cautioned. "I'll tell you what: Why don't I go see Jack's parents and teach them a lesson they won't soon forget?"

"We go to!" Gabby yelled, crossing her arms. "After Elena tells you what he said."

"What did he say?" Bobby Lee wondered, trying to be calm.

"He say nobody likes people with at-is-him," Elena admitted. "He say Suzie and Sally only my friends cause they...pretty...me..." she paused, trying to remember the word.

"You mean pity, Elena...wait. Pity?" Nell scowled. "You think Suzie and Sally are being friends with you out of pity? I can tell you right now that that's not true! I saw how well you got along with them during your first day of preschool! Gabby told us that they were helping you when Jack was teasing you. They always alerted Milly when Jack was about to do something. They're wonderful friends."

"They are nice," Elena admitted. She frowned again. "He said that Mommy pretty me because she didn't marry Daddy yet."

"That's it! We're going!" Nell yelled as Bobby Lee held her back.

"Helen, you'll influence them!" Bobby Lee chuckled as Elena hugged his legs. "Elena, would you like say hello to Ricky?"

Elena smiled a little. "Okay," she laid her head on Nell's stomach. "Hi, Ricky. I'm Elena. You be a good boy, okay? Don't tease me 'cause I have at-is-him!"

"We'll teach Ricky everything we know about autism, Love Bug," Bobby Lee promised. "He'll help you too. And right now, I have something I need to take care of."

"Okay, but try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum," Nell agreed.

"Boo boos?" Gabby asked with a smile. "I come too!"

"Well look at that Elena. Daddy's turned Gabby into a monster!" Nell chuckled, seeing her husband and youngest daughter run off.

"I thought Mommy was monster!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands excitedly before putting her head on Nell's stomach again. "Ricky, sorry you got the monster at night night time."

Nell frowned. Bobby Lee, James, and Madeline were always saying that her snoring reminded them of a horrible snarling monster. And now it seemed that Elena and Gabby were starting to call her that. "I'll show you a monster!"

"Mommy! No!" Elena giggled, feeling Nell's hands at her sides.

"Well I'm sorry but this is what a monster does!" Nell joked with a smile.

Bobby Lee and Gabby came back a few minutes later, and found Nell and Elena on the bed. "Are we missing anything?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Nothing much," Nell shrugged. "Just a monster attack."

"But it not night-night time yet," Gabby looked confused.

"Next victim for the monster!" Nell switched Elena with Gabby. "And now, Robert, while the monster attacks Gabby, tell me everything that happened with Jack and his parents."

"You really want to know?" Bobby Lee smirked, kissing her cheek.

"Tell her Daddy!" Gabby squealed as Nell found her stomach and started to tickle it.

As he mussed Gabby's hair, Bobby Lee launched into his story. "We went to Jack's parents' house. Jack answered the door and said 'hello no daddy girl. Where your sped sister?' Luckily for us, his parents were right behind him. Jack's mother tried to look embarrassed about Jack using language like that, but I know when someone's faking it."

"What about Jack's daddy the prince-o-pal?" Elena asked.

"He took Jack to his room. I don't remember much more," Bobby Lee didn't want to admit that he'd heard Jack's father yelling at him, and he thought he heard something that sounded suspiciously like 'get a switch'. "But he's starting to become more aware of what Jack does at school, and he's starting to talk about moving Jack to another class."

"Doesn't Jack's mommy know you and Mommy married?" Elena asked.

"Well, yes, but that doesn't stop her from acting like she does," Bobby Lee admitted. "But your friend Caroline, who we now know is Jack's aunt, was there too. She apologized for everything Jack and her sister said, and even offered to throw you a baby shower."

"I always loved Caroline. She's so thoughtful," Nell smiled as she let Gabby up.

"Ricky needs nice people!" Elena yelled, finding her toy scepter. "Because I Elena of Enchancia will no stand for meanies!"

"Oh really?" Gabby asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah! I put all meanies in jail until they nice!" Elena shouted.

"Well then, it's good that I'm not a meanie anymore, right?" Bobby Lee asked.

"I don't think that proclamation was around when we were younger," Nell smirked.

"And I will guard Ricky! Cause he's my brother!" Elena finished as everyone stared. "Can I not like him now?"

"We're just surprised honey. You were so upset when we told you," Nell recalled with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I thought Ricky would be a bully like Jack," Elena admitted.

"Oh, sweetheart, Jack's a bully because his mommy is teaching him all the wrong things," Nell explained. "She wants Jack to think that it's okay to tease people who are different, or have special needs."

"But he's getting two different messages," Bobby Lee agreed. "His mommy says it's okay to do this, but his daddy says not to."

"But you say his aunt says not to do that too," Elena looked confused.

"We know, Elena," Nell sighed. "He's getting so many directions on how to act that he's confused."

"Then how would he learn not to be confused?" Gabby asked with a frown.

"Well I heard his father announcing that Jack and him will live with Caroline from now on before I left," Bobby Lee muttered, seeing the girls confused.

"So he's divorcing his wife? Never thought I would see it coming," Nell said as Elena looked up tearful eyes.

"Jack learn to be good?" she asked, finding Kitty on the floor and hugging her.

"Let's hope so, sweetheart," Nell murmured. She gently placed her in her lap. "And like we do with you and Gabby, Daddy and I will teach Ricky to be good."

"Will Ricky look like us?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"No no Gab Gab. He'll look like either me or Mommy," Bobby Lee explained, taking her in his lap. "Only eight months to go."

"And the time will fly by," Nell assured her.

"We take it one day at a time," Elena smiled.

"That's right, Love Bug," Bobby Lee smiled as he hugged her.


	16. Cheering up a sad Elena

Chapter Sixteen: Cheering up a sad Elena

Siblings: Sofia, Amber, and James.

Setting: A few weeks after James begins to help with the royal dog trainers, improving his attitude.

"No! No want Gabby to go!"

The three royal siblings peeked into Elena and Gabby's room, seeing the older of the twins faced down on the floor with tears down her cheeks.

With the girls being two, temper tantrums were known to happen and punishment in time out followed by a talk of why they did it and promising to never do it again was more common nowadays.

But an Elena temper tantrum was more extreme. Nell was lucky enough to get a few tears and kicks before she would settle down. But if something really made Elena upset, there would be biting.

And unfortunately Gabby leaving for her first day of physical therapy for her bad leg, resorted to the biting.

"Elena, Gabby has to go. You want her to get better, don't you?" Nell asked.

"Gabby stay!" Elena cried.

"We'll be back later, Love Bu-ouch!" Bobby Lee yelped as Elena's little teeth sank into his hand. "That's it. Timeout!"

"I'll take care of timeout, Robert; you go bandage your hand," Nell assured him.

"Yeah, you don't want to turn into a werewolf, and tonight is a full moon!" James smirked.

Bobby Lee mussed his hair as he went to put medicine on his hand. It was nice to see James being nice to everyone again. His dog Rex had recently been sent away for biting Gabby, and James had given everyone a hard time. At Bianca and Bobby Lee's suggestion, he was working with the royal dog trainers, and everyone saw that his attitude was improving.

"You're right; we don't want that. Oh no-AAAAAAWWWHHOOOOO!" Bobby Lee threw back his head and howled.

Even Gabby giggled at his antics. "Daddy silly!"

"Daddy's very silly!" Sofia chuckled, carrying Elena in her arms as the little girl tried to bite her. "No no."

"She's been doing that a lot lately. We've been checking our books and she's not teething," Nell sighed before smiling as she took Gabby in her arms.

"She's not sick, is she?" Amber asked.

"No," Bobby Lee came in with a bandage on his hand. "We've asked her why she's biting, and she won't tell us."

"We'll look up some more information and find out what's going on," Sofia offered.

"I appreciate that," Nell smiled as she took Gabby up. "Come on, Robert; let's go to the doctor before Elena bites us again."

"Should Elena stay in timeout while you're gone?" Amber asked.

"Good idea," Nell nodded.

"How many minutes per age is it again?" James asked.

"I think it's one or two minutes per age," Sofia shook her head. "We'll have to look that up again."

"Elena's two so it's two minutes," Amber recalled, memorizing most of the books on toddlers that the royal library had to offer.

"No timeout!" Elena screaming, being carried over to her time out stool.

"Sorry buddy but you can't bite anyone. Especially your mommy and daddy," James said, handing her Kitty.

"Do you think you can keep her calm until we get back?" Nell asked.

"No problem, Nell," Sofia assured her.

"Sofia's right," Amber smiled, "If anyone can keep Elena calm when she's in timeout, it's her."

"You help too, Amber," Sofia smiled, "And James has been getting a lot better since he's been working with the royal dog trainers."

"He's not quite the brat Elena is, but he's getting better," Bobby Lee smirked.

"You are so paying for that," James smirked.

"Not before you do," Bobby Lee grinned.

"Boys, I hate to break up this little play fight, but we have to go," Nell broke in.

"Right. Bye Love Bug!" Bobby Lee yelled before being dragged away from Nell.

The siblings chuckled softly at the scene before them as Elena chewed on one of Kitty's wings.

She couldn't help it. The plush of the toy kept her focused and unaware that her mommy and daddy had left with her sister.

James sat next to Elena as she bit Kitty's wings. "Ouch! Mommy don't bite me!" he made Kitty say.

"Thanks for helping, James, but I think Elena would like to hear one of her favorite stories," Sofia smiled. "Right, Elena?"

"Elsa and Anna book?" Elena asked.

"I found it," Amber went to the shelf and picked up Elena and Gabby's favorite book. "We'll read this and soon your mommy and daddy will be back with Gabby."

Elena smiled a little as she snuggled up with Amber as she read one of her favorite books.

The smile didn't last long as by the end of the book, Elena was starting to miss Gabby even more.

"No no. Don't bite me!" Amber scolded, seeing Elena become upset.

"How about this, Elena?" James asked, handing her a carrot stick he'd taken from the kitchen. He read in one of the books that biting and teething toddlers sometimes bit raw vegetables when they couldn't find something to sink their teeth into, and he hoped this worked.

Elena bit the carrot, and Amber backed away from her. "Good work, James," she smiled as James put a cup of raw vegetables on Elena's table.

"Thanks, Amber, now I've got to get to work with the dogs," James said as he left the room.

"Wait!" Sofia called after him, "I think Elena's timeout just ended, so do you think she might like to go outside?"

"She does like playing in the flowers," Amber agreed. "She and I can make daisy chains and flower crowns."

"It would keep her mind off biting, anyway," Sofia added.

"And not to mention Gabby," Amber said, carrying the cup of raw vegetables in her hands. "We better take this with us."

"Just to be safe?" Sofia joked, smirking at James who laughed.

Elena, with the raw carrot in her mouth, started to crawl away before standing up, wondering where her sister could be.

"How would you like to go outside, Elena?" Sofia asked as she picked her up.

"Gabby there?" Elena asked.

"No, but you and I can play in the flowers," Amber suggested. "You like making flower crowns, don't you?"

"Princess crowns!" Elena clapped her hands.

"That's right, Elena," Sofia smiled, "We'll make flower crowns for the three of us, your mommy, and Gabby. We can also watch as James works with the doggies."

"Doggies!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands excitedly.

"Come on. I'm sure Gabby would love a crown from you!" Sofia laughed, stroking her hair.

"Princess crown! Princess crown!" Elena giggled again before she frowned. "Doggies mean."

"Not all doggies are mean," Amber assured her, "Take a look at where James is working. Do the doggies look like they're hurting him?"

Elena looked over at where James was working. He looked like he was having fun with the dogs. She giggled as some of the puppies ran around him, and he'd pick one up and scratch them on the head as it licked him. "Doggies nice to James!"

"Yes they are," Sofia smiled.

"Hi, guys," James greeted them as he came over a minute later. He had the puppy who was licking him in his arms. "This little guy wanted to say hello to you. And don't worry, Elena," he added, seeing Elena's worried look. "I've got a hold of him, so he can't bite you."

"Okay," Elena slowly reached out so the puppy could sniff her hand. "Hi, doggie. You be nice, okay?"

"Elena, he's very nice," Sofia smiled as she and Amber scratched the puppy's head.

"I just wanted him to meet you," James explained, "I've got to take him back now, since he and his brothers and sisters aren't quite old enough to leave their moms yet."

"That was nice of James to let you pet that puppy, wasn't it?" Sofia smiled.

"Yeah! Puppy nice!" Elena giggled. "He like princess crown?"

"I think he would," Amber smiled.

"Princess crown?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Princess crown," Amber muttered, stroking her hair.

"But what color?" Sofia asked as she and Amber sat Elena in the flowers.

"Color?" Elena asked in confusion.

"For the puppy, I don't think it matters, since James says dogs can't see colors," Amber looked around. "But for us, what color flowers would you like, Elena?"

Elena looked around the flowers. "Pink!" she shouted.

"Okay, pink it is," Sofia smiled.

"What colors would Nell and Gabby like?" Amber asked as Sofia started working on Elena's crown.

"Mommy like pink too!" Elena giggled.

"And I'm guessing Gabby likes pink too?" Amber joked with a smile.

"No! She like purple!" Elena giggled before she frowned, nibbling a little at her flower. "Gabby..."

"You don't think her missing Gabby is causing her biting do you?" Sofia asked Amber, trying to finish Elena's flower crown.

"It might," Amber murmured, "I read that toddlers can bite other people if they feel frustrated about something or they're afraid."

"That might be it," Sofia mused. "Elena might be frustrated that she can't be with Gabby while she's at the doctor's. We might have to look up some more information in the book you found, but we should tell Nell and Bobby Lee about this when they come home."

"Agreed," Amber mused, seeing Elena playing in the flowers.

"At least she's having fun," Sofia grinned, hearing the two year old laugh for the first time that day.

"Well, doesn't this look like fun?" they heard Nell's voice a few minutes later. The girls looked up, and saw her standing next to them.

"Mommy!" Elena cheered. "Where Gabby?"

"Gabby's in your room taking a nap," Nell smiled, "The exercises the doctor had her do wore her out."

"Is she okay?" Sofia asked.

"She'll be fine in a little while," Nell assured her. "Bobby Lee and I just took her up for a nap. So, how's everything here?"

"Everything's fine," Amber smiled. "Elena did her timeout with no trouble, thanks to your Elsa and Anna book, James gave her some raw vegetables to help with the biting, and we all took her out here to play in the flowers and watch him work with the dogs."

"He also brought a puppy over," Sofia added. "The puppy licked her, and she was very well behaved around it."

"That's good," Nell smiled.

"We found out what may be causing her biting too," Amber added with a smirk.

"Really?" Nell mused with a smile. "Do tell."

"Tell what?" Elena asked before looking down at the ground. "Up no."

"Love Bug what happened?" Nell asked, taking her in her arms.

Sofia and Amber told Nell about their ideas that Elena might be biting because she was frustrated that she couldn't be with Gabby when she went to the doctor. It was only an idea, but Nell agreed that it might be a start.

"Elena, sweetheart, I'm sorry you've been upset," Nell murmured as she hugged her. "We only want Gabby to get better from this. Don't you want that?"

"Yeah...I come with Gabby next time?" Elena asked.

Nell and Bobby Lee looked at each other. "She might like watching what Gabby does," Bobby Lee admitted. "She might even make up some exercises Gabby could do to strengthen her leg."

"We both know Elena loves making up dances," Nell smiled.

"Okay," Bobby Lee nodded. "We'll take you with us the next time Gabby has to go to the doctor. It won't be until next week, though, so that'll give you time to make up some dances you could have Gabby do to help her."

"Yeah!" Elena smiled. She frowned, looking at the ground again. "Doctors hurt Gabby?"

"No no Love Bug," Bobby Lee assured her with a smile. "They help her. Like when you have a check up."

"How they help Gabby?" Elena asked, wiggling in Nell's arms.

"They taught her how to stretch her leg so it doesn't hurt when she walks," Nell started. "They had her climb up and down a little set of stairs, and they gave her a tip we heard Baileywick give James once when he got hurt."

"What he say?" Elena asked.

"When Gabby has to climb up the stairs, she leads with her good leg, and when she goes down the stairs, she leads with the bad one," Bobby Lee explained.

"Down bad, up good!" Elena shouted.

"That's right, Love Bug," Nell smiled. "We have a whole sheet of exercises Gabby can do, and we can also write down the dances you make up for her."

"They give us a little something for you too," Bobby Lee added with a smile.

"What is it?" Elena asked with a smile.

"I'm betting candy!" James chuckled before Elena hugged his legs.

"You smell like doggie!" Elena giggled, clapping her hands.

"Well, that's to be expected, since I've been working with the dogs," James grinned. "I'll go get cleaned up, then you can tell me what you got."

Elena nodded, softly understanding when someone was dirty or messy, it equaled a bath.

"Gabby?" Elena asked with a smile. "I see her?"

"What about your gift?" Bobby Lee asked with a pout.

"Wait for James to come back from bath, then gift?" Elena asked.

"Okay," Nell smiled. "And while we wait for him, we can work on your flowers."

A few minutes later, James came back and watched Elena making a flower crown for Gabby. "Okay, Elena! I'm back, and I'm ready for your surprise."

"What surprise?" Sofia joked with a smile.

"Is it special?" Amber asked with a smile.

"Well yes in a way. When the doctors asked about my hand, they thought Gabby had bit it!" Bobby Lee explained with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Elena murmured, handing him another flower crown she'd been working on. "This make it better?"

"You know just what to do to make me feel better, Love Bug," Bobby Lee grinned.

"That's sweet, Elena," Nell smiled.

"I agree," Sofia said, giving Elena a kiss on the cheek.

"Surprise now?" Elena asked with big eyes.

Nell smiled, and handed Elena a doll with bendable arms and legs. "We told the doctor that you wanted to help Gabby too, and so he gave us this doll. Since it bends and stretches, you can make it do what Gabby does, so you can learn how her exercises work."

"You should also draw pictures of the dances you want Gabby to do," Bobby Lee suggested. "We'll have you describe them to James, and he can write down each of the steps."

Elena smiled. "Okay!"

She gave her parents a hug as the royal siblings grinned at each other.

"Well our job is done," James joked with a smile.

"You didn't even help most of the time!" Amber pouted with crossed arms.

"I tried to offer a few ideas earlier, but it looked like you had everything under control, and I didn't want the puppies to bother you," James tried to explain.

"Oh, we understand!" Sofia smirked, dropping another flower crown on his head.

"We certainly do!" Amber agreed, putting a necklace of flowers around his neck.

"James pretty!" Elena giggled.

"Yes he is!" Nell chuckled with a smile.

"Gabby now!" Elena yelled with a clap of her hands.

"We're coming with you!" James shouted as Bobby Lee tried not to laugh.

"Sure thing flower boy," Bobby Lee smirked, giving Sofia and Amber a wink.

"You guys go ahead; I have something to take care of first," James frowned at Bobby Lee.

"Bring it, flower boy!" Bobby Lee smirked.

"Call me flower boy one more time..." James growled.

"Okay...flower boy!" Bobby Lee grinned as he pounced on James.

"Should we break it up?" Amber asked.

"Just keep walking, girls," Nell grinned, "We know nothing about this, so we don't get involved."

"Say it!" Bobby Lee shouted as his fingers found James' ribs. "Bratty little flower boy!"

"Flower boy!" James laughed, swatting away Bobby Lee's hand.

"Gabby okay Mommy?" Elena asked, watching her daddy tickle James as she tried not to cry.

"She's fine, sweetheart," Nell smiled, "She told me she wanted to see you when she woke up."

"Really?" Elena looked up.

"Gabby was thinking about you as she worked with the doctors and physical therapists," Nell replied. "I think she wanted you there as much as you wanted to be there."

"It's a twin thing," James smirked as Bobby Lee had let him go. "Amber and I hated being separated from each other when we were little according to Dad."

"I would agree with him as Gabby started crying when she realized Elena wasn't there with her," Bobby Lee explained as Elena smiled.

"She miss me?" Elena asked.

"Oh yes," Nell sighed. "She kept asking 'Where Elena?' We had to tell her that you couldn't come this time, but maybe next time."

"And now that you have that doll, you can make it do the stretches and exercises along with Gabby so you can learn together," Bobby Lee agreed.

Elena didn't hear anything else, her excitement controlling her as she ran to her and Gabby's room, peeking a small peek at her sister sleeping who started to wake up.

"Elena!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands as she sat up in bed.

"Gabby!" Elena squealed, hugging her sister close. "I missed you!"

"You have Bendy Wendy doll?" Gabby asked, remembering the name of the doll she saw the physical therapist give Nell and Bobby Lee.

"That her name?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. You can make her stretch with me," Gabby explained, stretching the doll's leg like she'd learned how.

"Okay!" Elena smiled, copying her sister's movements.

"Nell! We found your runaway!" James yelled as he, Sofia and Amber came into Elena and Gabby's room.

"Nell can't punish Elena after seeing this!" Amber cooed, smiling at Gabby and Elena interacting.

"No I can't," Nell smiled. "Elena's learning how to help Gabby with her exercises, just like Gabby helps Elena with her feelings puzzle every day."

"They'll learn together, and take it one day at a time?" Sofia smiled.

"We couldn't have said it better ourselves!" Bobby Lee grinned as Nell nodded beside him.


	17. Teething gifts

Chapter Seventeen: Teething gifts

Setting: Months after Ricky is born.

Siblings: Elena, Sofia, Gabby and Ricky.

"You're early."

Snow White's gentle voice made Elena smile, uncovering her ears as the five year old sat down next her favorite kitty.

"Ricky got his first tooth and he's been crying too much," Elena complained with crossed arms. "Mommy's tired and can't be with me so Sofia's watching me."

"What about Daddy?" Snow White purred, nuzzling against her owner.

"Daddy's busy guarding us," Elena sighed.

"That's good," Snow White purred. Ever since her mommy had returned from her trip and showed her the pendant that let her talk to her, they had been talking to each other all the time.

And now that her mommy was five and she was two, Snow White enjoyed their conversations even more.

"But I don't know what to do. It's his first Wassailia tomorrow and he'll just cry throughout it," Elena sighed, hugging herself. "And I didn't even know what to get him."

"Yarn would be nice or some of the string from your dresses," Snow White purred before seeing Elena's frown. "Sorry. I don't know Ricky too well."

"What would Ricky like? I try to help Mommy and Daddy find something but they say no," Elena sighed.

"Maybe he'd like something soft," Sofia suggested. "He's a baby, so he can't play with toys like James' knights. Or a ball; that way he can roll it to Snow White, or even Jagger." She smiled at the dog in the next stall. Since James was doing something else, Sofia had offered to keep an eye on Jagger while Elena was with Snow White.

"Well Zoomer has been chewed on recently," Elena muttered, trying her best to use big girl words as she and Nell called them.

"So he's teething?" Sofia asked in surprise. "Poor little guy and close to Wassailia too."

"Yarn's soft. Why not give him that?" Snow White suggested, going into her stall before placing down a ball of yarn to Elena. "Will he like it Mommy?"

"Maybe we can make something with yarn. It'll be soft, so he can put it in his mouth," Sofia suggested. "Bianca's been teaching you how to knit."

"You knit too," Elena agreed.

"Yes I do," Sofia nodded. "And I think I will work on something with you. Why don't we go see Bianca or Florence? We'll tell them what's going on, and ask if they can help us with this."

"Okay!" Elena smiled. "Thank you, Snow White!"

Snow White purred happily as Elena and Sofia had left before curling herself into a ball for a long overdue nap.

"Will Daddy mind?" Elena asked with a smile. "He normally take Ricky with him."

"But can't because he's crying?" Sofia guessed with a smile.

"Yes," Elena answered softly, seeing Gabby look around for something. "Gabby what you looking for?"

"Quiet!" Gabby pouted. "Ricky cries in my ears!"

"That's normal," Sofia assured her, "He's been teething, so he'll be in pain for a while. Elena and I were going to go to Florence and Bianca to ask about making something with soft yarn for him to bite on. You want to join us?"

Gabby sighed. The last thing she wanted was to go back in the castle where Ricky was crying. But she also wanted to help her brother. "Okay."

"You know he'll love anything from his favorite sisters," Sofia smiled.

"We're Ricky's only sisters!" Elena giggled, and even Gabby had to smile.

She didn't want to hear Ricky cry again and though she and Elena knew that he would cry for a lot of things, Gabby wished their parents could've warn them about teething.

"I wish I can help you little buddy," Elena heard Nell say as she watched her bounce Ricky up and down.

Normally Ricky loved being bounced and Elena loved hearing him coo and giggle but with him teething, it didn't do him any good.

"Will these help?" James asked as he and Amber came in. "We did some research on teething, and we talked to Dad, and he gave us some ideas from when this happened with us."

"What did Roland do?" Nell asked.

"For me, Dad said that he had Violet put bananas in the freezer," James started. "He'd put one in my mouth and I'd just suck on it."

"And he did that so many times it's no wonder that James likes monkeys," Amber grinned, "But in all seriousness, Daddy said that I liked biting on a cold, wet dishcloth."

"I'll try one of those," Nell smiled.

"We wrote down some other ideas as well, just in case those don't work," James said as he handed Nell a notebook.

"Thanks, James. Thanks, Amber," Nell smiled.

Elena sighed, Ricky's cries getting to her ears as she wondered if James and Amber's plan would work.

"We still get yarn," Gabby whispered over their brother crying.

"We can at least try it," Sofia agreed.

They came to the royal dressmaker's room, where they found Bianca and Florence working on some new gowns.

"Miss Bianca? Miss Florence?" Sofia asked.

The women looked up. "Princess Sofia! Gabby Anna," Bianca smiled, waving them in, "What brings you here?"

"We're trying to find ways to help Ricky with his teething," Sofia explained. "We thought he'd like to bite on something soft, but we need to make it first."

Florence sighed. "I remember when Robert was teething. I'd walk him around the house, and have him gnaw on frozen slices of bread. But I know different people have different remedies for teething children. What did Lydia do for Helen, Bianca?"

"Freeze a little of her baby blanket but if that didn't work, Lydia always used something soft," Bianca recalled with a smile.

"Like Zoomer?" Elena asked with a frown. "Ricky can't eat his kitty!"

"No no! Like yarn!" Bianca chuckled, patting her head. "Did he make you upset by chewing on his kitty Elena Lydia?"

"Kitty friend, not food!" Elena pouted.

Florence and Bianca smiled, recalling that Bobby Lee had said that to Elena when she was teething and tried to bite Kitty's wings.

"That's right, sweetheart, but he didn't know that at the time," Florence smiled, taking Elena on her lap. "Kitty made a complete recovery from her adventure, and Ricky has his own Kitty now, so yours is safe."

"You'll still share Kitty with Richard Edward, won't you, Elena Lydia?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah! I'm a good sharer!" Elena smiled.

"We know you are," Sofia smirked, messing up her hair. "You share colds with us and share everything with Gabby and Snow White!"

"Not ever thing with Snow White!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Okay, there are some things you like that Snow White can't have, like chocolate," Florence smiled. "But you do try to help, and I know Nell and Robert appreciate that."

Sofia had been looking through one of Bianca's pattern books for an idea of what they could make for Ricky. "How about this?"

Elena clapped her hands. "That's cute! Ricky likes that!"

"What did you find?" Bianca asked.

"Kitties!" Elena giggled with a smile.

"But it's not for you," Sofia smirked, musing her hair. "It's for Ricky."

Elena frowned slightly before remembering how Ricky adored any kind of kitty.

Snow White especially whenever he got a chance to visit the stables.

Elena would carefully hold Snow White close to him while he would coo, holding out his hands to pet her.

"Ricky might like his own kitty," Sofia suggested.

"Ricky has Zoomer!" Elena giggled, remembering that Princess Elena had given Ricky a stuffed flying jaquin toy just like her Kitty the last time she came to visit. The difference between Kitty and Zoomer was that Zoomer was black with gray wings.

"Well, yes, but maybe he'd like a kitty like Snow White," Sofia continued. "Ricky's kitty could live here in the stable with her."

"Yeah!" Elena clapped her hands.

"But until he's old enough, I think he might like a new toy kitty," Bianca agreed.

"Out of yarn," Florence smirked with a smile.

"Kitty for Ricky's tooth?" Elena asked in surprise.

"Yes, sweetheart," Florence smiled. "He can play with it and it might make him forget the pain for a while."

"I'll also look up some home remedies for teething," Sofia added. "I can't really remember what Mom did with me, but James and Amber had some ideas that sounded interesting."

"I help?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Elena, Ricky my brother too!" Gabby pouted with crosses arms.

"Both of you can help!" Bianca chuckled, handing the twins the kitty pattern.

"Maybe you could both make kitties for Ricky," Sofia smiled. "After all, you saw how many stuffed kitties Sandra had when we visited Orillia. And she'd say that you can never have too many kitties!"

Elena smiled, remembering the stuffed kitties in Sandra's room. She was happy to know somebody who loved kitties as much as she did. The kitties had also acted as a source of comfort for her when someone had teased her.

Gabby giggled beside her, knowing that Elena had hated to leave all the kitties she'd met. However, they remembered the letter Sandra had sent a few weeks after their return from Orillia. One of the barn cats had had kittens, and on Elena's suggestion, Sandra had named them Elsa, Isa, and Anna.

Sofia was happy to see Elena and Gabby smiling as they all found their different yarn colors and got to work making their presents for Ricky.

"Blue, red..." Elena trailed off, trying to find the perfect colors for her kitty.

"Let her pick," Sofia said, seeing Gabby frown.

"But Ricky will go night night before she's done picking!" Gabby pouted, finding some yellow and purple yarn.

"That will make it extra special, since he can be surprised," Sofia smiled. "And you want him to have different colored kitties from you and Elena, don't you?"

"Okay," Gabby smiled, "We'll surprise Ricky!"

She hugged Sofia before getting started on her kitty. Gabby and Elena wanted to be the best sisters they could be to Ricky.

If even it meant having to deal with his crying for a few more hours until the kitties were finished.

They loved Ricky. They really did. But they never liked when he cried.

Especially Elena who was sensitive to loud noises because of her autism. But she understood that babies cry because it was their only way of talking.

With their fingers covered in small bandages because of the pricks they had accidentally gotten from the knitting needles an hour or so later, with the help Sofia the girls carefully carried their kitties.

Nell looked up and gave the girls a tired smile. "Elena! Gabby! Sofia! Come on in. I'm sorry about before. It's just..."

"We understand," Sofia assured her. "Ricky's teething, and the girls wanted to make something for him."

"That was sweet of you, girls," Nell smiled, "What did you make him?"

"Kitties!" Elena whispered, remembering to keep her voice down since Ricky was sleeping.

"He'll love those," Nell smiled. "And you each made one for him! But I see you both ran into the occupational hazard of sewing." She kissed their bandage-covered fingers. "You'll be okay soon, girls."

"Thank you, Mommy!" Gabby smiled.

"How's Ricky?" Elena asked.

"Poor little guy wore himself out from crying," Nell sighed. "I hope he'll be okay soon."

"He will be," Sofia grinned, seeing Ricky wake up.

"Please don't cry! Please don't cry!" Gabby pleaded as Elena covered her ears.

Ricky didn't cry, to the girls' relief. His eyes widened as he saw the familiar objects in his sisters' arms. He cooed, reaching out for the kitties.

"Kitties make everything better!" Elena giggled as she took her hands off her ears and saw his reaction.

Ricky put the kitty Gabby gave him in his mouth. He reached out for the one Elena held out.

"There you go, little guy," Nell smiled.

He softly chewed on the ear of Gabby's kitty, hoping it would ease the pain he was having with his teething.

"He's smiling!" Gabby's giggled, hugging her brother close.

"And he's not crying," Sofia smiled, hearing Ricky coo softly.

"He likes your gifts," Nell smiled. "He knows you're trying to help him."

"We love you, Ricky!" Elena smiled.

"Kitties love you too!" Gabby hugged him again.

"Ricky better now?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Hey Ricky! You were red as your mommy's hair earlier!" Bobby Lee chuckled with a smile. Ricky cooed up at Bobby Lee, holding up the kitties Elena and Gabby made. "And look at your new friends!"

Bobby Lee smiled, looking at the red jaquin toy with blue wings, and the purple jaquin with gray wings.

"We made those!" Elena cheered, jumping up and down.

"Yeah!" Gabby agreed.

"You made these?" Bobby Lee repeated, "Those are the cutest toys I've ever seen! Nice job, girls!"

"We fig heard it would help with his tooth," Elena explained with a flap of her hands.

"Figured Love bug," Nell corrected, smiling at her girls. "I've waited for his coos all day! I forgot that soft things help with teething."

"What you do with us?" Gabby wondered as Ricky spotted her hair.

"Well, for you, Elena, you liked biting these little wooden blocks I made for you," Bobby Lee started, "Gabby, you were a lot like Amber. From what I read in the notebook she and James gave us, you liked biting on wet dish cloths."

"And what else?" Nell hinted.

"I'd walk you around the castle at night," Bobby Lee continued. "Roland caught me and Gabby once, but he didn't blame me, since he did the same thing with James and Amber. Instead, we took you to the kitchen, and we gave you both a wet dishrag and a frozen banana."

"And did any of them work?" Nell asked.

"She liked biting the banana, but she fell asleep with the dishrag in her mouth," Bobby Lee smiled, "So I just carried her back to bed."

Ricky cooed, biting the kitty Gabby had made for him as Sofia stroked his hair.

"You like it don't you?" Sofia cooed, making him giggle by tickling his tummy.

Ricky squealed and waved his arms, snuggling closer to Nell.

"That's right, little guy, and it's good to see you feeling better," Nell smiled, kissing the top of his head.


	18. Show and Tell babies

Chapter Eighteen: Show and tell babies

Setting: Two weeks after chapter one of Healing and Love.

Siblings: Sabrina and Madeline.

"But we wanna take the babies Mommy! Nell's not using them!" Madeline pouted with crossed arms as she and Sabrina glanced at their mother.

Their nieces Elena had Gabby had just turned two weeks old and just like their parents, the twins enjoyed having them around.

But now with it being their turn with show and tell, Madeline had suggested that she and Sabrina could bring them to school instead of a boring old toy.

"Because they're little and you might make them sick," Lydia explained with a smile.

"Then why don't you come with us?"

"I can't. I have to help your sister today but I'm sure you two can find something else before school."

The girls shook their heads, seeing Elena and Gabby coo in their cradle.

Then an idea came to Madeline. She and Sabrina had their doll carriages and their nieces were just as small as their dolls.

"Sabrina stay here!" Madeline giggled, jumping up and down excitedly. "I'll be right back!"

"Where you going?" Sabrina asked in confusion.

"It's a surprise!"

Sabrina shook her head in amusement as Elena grabbed her hand.

Madeline found their doll carriages as she pushed them back to the sitting room.

"Sabrina I'm back with the best surprise yet!" Madeline yelled, clapping her hands.

"Our carriages?" Sabrina asked, a bit surprised. "Madeline that's not interesting!"

"But we can bring the babies in them!"

"Okay. But we might need stuff."

"Bottles, diaper wipes, and foods?!" Madeline groaned, crossing her arms in annoyance Sabrina we need their diaper bag! That's in their room upstairs! And we're already late for school as it is!"

"No we're not. School isn't for another hour," Sabrina grinned, putting Gabby in her carriage. "That's what Nell says when we rush."

"Maybe you're right but what about their toys?"

"I'll get them while you get Elena and Gabby settled," Sabrina muttered with a smile.

Madeline nodded without a word as Elena stared at the doll carriage.

"Don't worry. You'll be with us," Madeline assured her whimpering niece who cooed at the sound of her voice. "You like us right?"

The twins squealed happily from their doll carriages, clapping their hands before Madeline asked them to be quiet.

Elena and Gabby gave Madeline confused looks, not understanding why she wanted them to be quiet.

Instead they started to yawn, stretching their arms.

"No! I mean shush! Not a peep from you two!" Madeline groaned, putting a hand to her head.

"I got two bottles of milk, two bottles of juices, their baby food, diaper wipes, change of clothes just in case, and their toys too!" Sabrina giggled, showing her sister the filled diaper bag.

"Good. They're taking an early nap nap."

"Let's hope they stay that way until Show and Tell."

"Girls have you seen the twins?" Nell asked, patting their heads. "So you picked your dolls huh?"

"Yes we picked our dolls Nell," Madeline answered before nudging Sabrina in the ribs. "Right Sabrina?"

"Ow! I mean yes Madeline and we haven't seen Elena or Gabby sorry. Come Madeline let's get going!" Sabrina giggled, running out the door. "Bye Nell! See you after school!"

Seeing the wagon that would take them to kindergarten, the girls sighed in relief, seeing Elena and Gabby still asleep.

"Girls! Oh I love your dolls!" Mrs. Nelson greeted with a smile after the wagon had dropped them off.

"Thank you Mrs. Nelson. Our dolls will be with us all day," Madeline grinned with clenched teeth. "Right Sabrina?"

"Right," Sabrina muttered, whimpering a little as Elena started to hiccup.

"And they're so real too! I'm sure the class will love them."

"They will. Come on Sabrina! Um Mrs. Nelson, we need to get our dolls ready. Be right back."

The girls rushed Elena and Gabby into the school as Madeline took Elena in her arms.

"Why are you hiccuping?!" Sabrina screamed as Madeline patted her back.

Elena sighed happily, puking up milk from earlier that morning on Madeline's shoulder before laying down.

"That's why. Gross! Sabrina quiet please because you will awake Gabby and our plan will be ruined!" Madeline complained before she smirked. "It's a good thing Nell don't know about it."

"Sorry," Sabrina muttered, cleaning up Elena's face with the sleeve of her dress.

"Good. Now let's get back to class before someone see Elena and Gabby then we're in very big trouble with Mommy and Nell both."

"Don't remind me."

Elena and Gabby cooed softly, kicking their legs before Madeline gave them their toys, hoping to quiet them down.

"Close call," Madeline sighed, putting the doll carriages next to their cubbies as Elena and Gabby started to calm down.

"Now be good and please don't let anyone smell you if you go potty!" Sabrina pleaded, kissing their foreheads.

"I hope they're quiet until Show and Tell time."

"Me too."

Sabrina and Madeline glanced back to the doll carriages a few times during their lessons.

They were at least lucky that Mrs. Nelson didn't think that they were antsy before Elena and Gabby started to cry.

"Oh it's okay. What's the matter?" Mrs. Nelson cooed, stopping her lesson to see the crying babies. "Real babies'?! Shush, it's okay." The kind smile on her face turned to anger as she spotted Sabrina and Madeline trying to leave. "Sabrina! Madeline! In the hallway right now! We need to have a little talk."

The twins hung their heads as Mrs. Nelson gave Elena and Gabby their bottles of milk before dragging their aunts by their ears to the hallway.

"They're lifelike dollies!" Madeline laughed nervously, smiling softly.

"Madeline please be quiet. I know they're lifelike dolls but babies aren't meant for school."

"We know but we didn't want to bring no old toys!" Sabrina pouted, crossing her arms. "No! No! No!"

"Sabrina shush! Now does Nell know that you have Elena and Gabby?" Mrs. Nelson asked, having just seen the babies last week.

"Um no. Mommy told us not to bring them to school," Madeline answered with a gulp.

"Hey cool! Lifelike baby doll girls!" A classmate named Nick shouted with a giggle. "They're fun to play with!"

Sabrina and Madeline ran back in the classroom in horror before sighing in relief at Nick playing with Elena.

"My little brothers aren't like this!" Jesse giggled, taking Gabby in her arms.

"See Mrs Nelson? They're lifelike dollies only better cause they make noise!" Sabrina giggled, jumping up and down.

"I see," Mrs. Nelson nodded with a smile. "But I need to call your sister and let her know that Elena and Gabby are safe."

"Yes Mrs. Nelson."

"This doesn't mean you're not off the hook."

"Why?" Madeline frowned, not understanding.

"Madeline, I think she means that we're in trouble with Mommy and Nell," Sabrina whispered with a frown.

"Oh. Can we play with our nieces? Please?"

"Until Helen has to pick them up," Mrs. Nelson muttered, smirking a little. "I might even have her think of a punishment."

Elena and Gabby cooed, reaching out for their aunts who took them in their arms.

"Hey! Give her back!" Jesse yelled, grabbing Gabby by the legs.

"No pulling on Gabby's leg!" Madeline yelled, becoming protective. "That's a no no no! Gabby do what you do best."

Gabby was confused before Madeline patted her back, having her spit up on Jesse's shirt.

"Good job Gabby!" Sabrina giggled, clapping her hands.

"Gabby, you and Elena may not be baby dollies but you two sure can come in handy when we really need it!" Madeline added, hugging her close.

Gabby cooed, sucking on Madeline's hand in response.


	19. Research and more research

Chapter Nineteen: Research and more research

Setting: During chapter ten of Guided by the Light.

Siblings: James and Amber.

Leaving late from Royal Prep was never in the intention of the twins unless it counted for flying derby or extra credit.

But not this time.

Ever since the incident with Sofia and Cedric's workshop that caused her blindness in both eyes and disappointed that there weren't any cures to potion eye injuries, the twins had decided to take their time with the subject.

Especially Amber who felt guilty for yelling at Sofia that morning to act properly and not spill her food.

"Why did I have to say that to her?" she asked for what seemed like the tenth time. "I should have been more understanding."

"We all want to help Sofia," James tried to assure her. "We're all still learning about this ourselves."

"At least it explains why we're in the library," Amber grinned before spotting a book on the stars. "Oh!"

"Amber, save that for another time!" James chuckled, shaking his head. "We're here to help Sofia, not you. However if you behave maybe you can check out the book."

"Gee, thanks," Amber smirked, but she knew how serious this was. "And if I have to stay away from books on stars, you have to stay away from books about knights and cannons."

"That's the plan," James smiled. "I actually asked Penny about some books about blindness when we first got to school; that's why I was almost late. She recommended some titles for me and I wrote them down. Let's go find Mrs. Higgins and she'll help us find them. Then when we get home, we can show these to Mom, Dad, Cedric, and read them to Sofia."

"It feels strange to say read to or have her feel when Sofia used to do the same things as us," Amber admitted with a frown.

"I know. And seeing Sofia well embarrassed and ashamed since last week, it's probably made her feel even worse," James added, holding on to his list of titles.

"Daddy isn't making that any better," Amber grumbled with crossed arms.

"Dad's just upset about what happened. Believe me, we all are," James assured her. "He knew it was an accident."

"You're right, James," Amber sighed. "I just hate seeing him and Cedric mad at each other."

"At least they agree for him to be her teacher," James smiled softly, seeing that they were almost to the front desk. "Cedric's the only one Sofia will allow to teach her."

"Why am I not surprised!" Amber chuckled with a smile. "Sofia would have a fit if Daddy hires someone else."

"Don't remind me," James muttered, recalling the fiasco with Mrs. Higginbottom. "But at least we never have to worry about her again!"

"Thankfully," Amber smiled, grabbing James' list. "Come on! We can't be here all day!"

With Mrs. Higgins' help, they were able to find all the books on the list. When they checked them out, they piled them in the coach and headed home.

"We're back!" Amber called. "Mother, Daddy, I'm sorry we're late, but James and I had an idea that can help Sofia."

"Where did you get all these books?" Miranda asked, picking up one of the titles.

"Penny recommended them and we found them in the school library," James explained. "We all need to learn about blindness, not just Sofia."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Miranda smiled. "We'll all learn about this together."

"Indeed. Well done, you two!" Roland smiled, picking up another book after he hugged James and Amber.

"Then where is she?" James wondered with a smile.

"In her room, practicing feeling," Roland smiled, musing his hair.

"Maybe we can read her the books?" Amber suggested, looking at the floor. "Especially after what I did this morning."

"Don't worry, Amber; Sofia never stays mad at us for too long," James assured her. "It's probably been forgotten, anyway."

"I hope you're right," Amber murmured as they all went to Sofia's room.

"If I know Sof, she wouldn't stay that way," James grinned, seeing Sofia come towards them.

"You know you two do have light footsteps," Sofia grinned, hugging them both.

"We do?" James smirked, musing her hair.

"James, her hearing has increased since the incident," Amber grinned as Sofia felt her smile.

Amber had made her cry that morning and not to mention embarrassed so she was glad in a sense to feel her smile.

James was glad to see Sofia smiling again, and he told her about the books that Penny had recommended for her. "We all want to learn more about this. We never want to have another Mrs. Higginbottom here again."

"I agree," Sofia nodded. "She never let me hear you, she grabbed me by my feet..."

"You never have to think about her again, Sof," James smiled as he put an arm around her.

Sofia smiled as she leaned into his embrace. "And all of you are going to help me?"

"That's right," Amber agreed, hugging Sofia's other side. "We're all going to learn all we can about this, and do everything we can to help you."

"You know, Amber, I think maybe we could train one of the guard dogs or hunting dogs to be a guide dog for Sof, too," James suggested. "A lot of them just had puppies, and I'm sure she'd love one to help her."

"That's a wonderful idea, James," Roland smiled, he and Miranda having heard their conversation.

"A guide dog?" Sofia asked, a little worried.

"We know you just learned Braille this afternoon and can only read your name so far and we know Penny uses a cane to get around but we have all seen you being friends with all types of animals," Miranda grinned, musing her hair.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Roland agreed. "You get along so well with animals, and a guide dog can help you navigate your way around the castle, and at school."

"But animals aren't allowed at Royal Prep," Sofia looked unsure.

"I'm sure we can ask the headmistresses about this," Amber assured her. "They want to help you too, and they'd know that a guide dog will help you through the halls."

"And if you get on Minimus again, he can be your eyes for Flying Derby," James suggested.

"Why don't we see how she gets along with a guide dog first, James?" Roland grinned. "I know her horse could help her as well, but let's take it one step at a time."

"Right! Like my reading and writing!" Sofia giggled a little, jumping up and down.

"How was your lesson anyway?" Amber wondered with a smile. "We got home too late to see you do it."

"Mister Cedric says now that I have my name figured out, he's going to have me start on the family," Sofia smiled. "He says I almost have your name down, Amber."

Amber smiled. "That's great, Sofia!"

"And do you think it would it be okay if we sat in on one of your lessons, Sof?" James asked. "We wouldn't disturb you, but it might help us to learn what you're learning."

"I'll have to ask Mr. Cedric. Tomorrow's Saturday and you two don't look busy," Sofia grinned softly, feeling her hair in her face.

"We could count her lesson as more research," Amber whispered with a smile.

"That's a good idea, and to tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind sitting in on a lesson myself," Miranda agreed. "I want to learn as much as I can about this so I can be more helpful to you."

"Indeed," Roland nodded. "Miranda, why don't you and I go talk to Cedric and ask if we can all sit with Sofia during one of her lessons, and James, you and Amber can take Sofia to the new puppies. Maybe she'll find one to help her."

"You think you're up for it Sof?" James asked, helping her push her hair out of the way.

"I don't know," Sofia muttered, a bit unsure.

"Are you scared of the puppies?" Amber asked, taking her hand.

"No, but what will the other kids at school say when they see me with a guide dog?" Sofia asked.

"It doesn't matter," Miranda assured her, "I'm sure they know how guide dogs work, and that the dog you get will help you."

"So can I see um feel the puppies?" Sofia asked with a smile

"Of course. Just follow Amber's voice and James will lead," Roland said, patting her head. "And Sofia you don't have to change your words."

"But see, look, light are words that remind me of before," Sofia muttered, looking ashamed. "I was so stupid not to listen to him!"

"You're not stupid, Sofia," Roland murmured, pulling her close. "I know now that it was just an accident. We all want to help you with this."

"But we keep saying those words," Sofia started to cry. "I hate those words!"

"Sofia, sweetheart, it's all right," Miranda murmured as she saw James bringing over a puppy. "Why don't you meet the new friend James is bringing over?"

"What kind of dog is it?" Sofia asked, smiling a little as she felt the puppy lick her hands.

"He's a Labrador retriever," James smiled, "One of the books said that Labradors are brilliant choices for guide dogs."

"Really?" Sofia asked in surprise. "I never thought of that."

"Well now you do," Miranda mused, kissing her cheek. "We'll be with Cedric if you need us."

"Okay," Sofia murmured.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having the family with her as Cedric taught her. They all showed an interest in wanting to learn about her blindness, and maybe as they watched her, they could learn what to do to help her.

She smiled at the idea, and her smile widened as she felt the puppy lick her hands. "You think that's a good idea too?" she asked.

The puppy nuzzled his nose against her cheek as a response, tugging at her hair.

"Hey! That's not food!" James chuckled, taking the puppy away from Sofia's hair.

"It's all right, James, let him get used to her," Amber grinned.

"You're right, Amber," James smiled, scratching the puppy's ears. "I think in one of the books we brought home, there was something about using a guide dog. Why don't I find that, and maybe later we can set up a kind of obstacle course or something to start training him."

"Okay, and maybe Sofia can come up with a name for her new friend," Amber agreed.

Meanwhile, Sofia was whispering to the puppy, "It's nice to meet you. My name's Sofia. And you can talk to me, since my amulet lets me talk to animals."

"Okay!" the puppy whispered back. "I'll do everything I can to help you, Sofia!"

"Thank you," Sofia smiled, gently patting the puppy on his head. "I just need to name you."

"Sofia have you found a name yet?" Amber asked, touching her shoulder.

"Not yet," Sofia sighed with a shake of her head.

"Don't worry, Sof, there's no hurry," James assured her.

"But what can we say when we start training him?" Sofia asked. "We can't just say 'Hey you, puppy come here!'"

The puppy happily wagged his tail before licking Sofia in the face.

"Hey! Stop that!" Sofia giggled, feeling the licking on her face.

"That's enough little buddy," James smiled, musing his fur.

The puppy barked happily as he licked James next. "I think he likes the name!" Sofia grinned, hearing James laugh.

"Okay, Buddy it is!" James grinned. "And he will be a good buddy for you, Sof!"

"Yes he will," Amber smiled. "We'll all work with both of you. We'll train Buddy to be a guide dog for you, and we'll work with you when you need our help, Sofia."

"I just hope when it's time for Buddy to come inside the castle that Rex gets along with him," Sofia grinned, feeling around until she picked up Buddy and hugged him.

"I hope so as well," Amber muttered, smirking a little. "Though I hope Buddy will be a lot smarter."

"Rex is smart," James frowned. "He just does things his own way." He grinned as he saw Rex approach. "Speak of the devil! Rex, this is Buddy. He's going to be Sofia's guide dog."

"Hi!" Buddy greeted Rex, licking him.

"Hi!" Rex barked, "Wanna play?"

"When I'm not helping Sofia, since I'm going to be her guide dog, sure!" Buddy said as he and Rex sniffed each other.

"How about that? They're getting along," Amber smiled.

"Rex finally has a friend of his own!" Sofia giggled before feeling a tap on her shoulder. "Mom!"

"So you finally named the puppy?" Miranda asked, giving her a hug.

"His name is Buddy," Sofia smiled. "We're going to train him to be my guide dog."

"And if I may say so, he looks like he'll be a good little buddy for you," Roland smiled, scratching Buddy's ears.

"That's how we came up with his name, thank you James' talent with words!" Sofia grinned. "He and Rex are getting along too."

"That's good," Miranda smiled. "Rex can be Buddy's big brother or mentor."

"And maybe I can teach Rex some of the things Sofia teaches Buddy," James suggested.

"Maybe," Miranda grinned, petting Rex.

"If he doesn't get distracted," Sofia added with a smile.

"So what did Cedric say about letting us come to Sofia's lessons?" James asked, stroking Rex behind the ears.

"We want to help Sofia in anyway we can," Amber grinned, making Sofia blush a little.

"He said that's a wonderful idea," Roland smiled. "He knows we all want to learn about this, and sitting in on Sofia's lessons is a perfect way for us to see how he teaches her how to use her other senses and learn the skills he teaches her."

"And when we're not learning with Cedric, we can set up a kind of obstacle course for Buddy to lead Sofia through," James added.

"I think he's trying already!" Amber chuckled, seeing Buddy and Sofia walk away.

"Whatever he gets her into, Buddy better take care of her," Roland smiled, musing James' hair. "I know you picked out the right puppy for Sofia, but sometimes I can't help but worry."

"I know you want what's best for her, Rollie, but give her a chance to get used to using Buddy to help her get around," Miranda smiled.

"You're right, Miranda," Roland smiled. "I'll try not to be so overprotective about her, and I'll try to be more supportive. I know I've caused my own share of problems during this time."

"It's not your fault, Daddy," Amber assured him, "We know you were upset about this, as we all were when this happened."

"We've all come a long way since then," Roland admitted. "And I'm sorry about how I was acting before."

"We forgive you Daddy," Amber said, hugging him close.

"And Sof will too in her own time," James promised, hearing Sofia giggling. "And I think I know where Buddy lead her."

Roland smiled as he saw Buddy leading Sofia to the stables. "She's eager to get back in the saddle again, isn't she?"

"I think she just wants to introduce him to the horses," Miranda smiled. "But I think you're right."

"But Buddy will be her focus first," Amber grinned, seeing Sofia introduce Buddy to her horse.

She hadn't seen Sofia that cheerful in weeks. In fact none of them had, smiling softly at the scene of affection Sofia was displaying between puppy and horse.

"I know I have to get used to you first, Buddy," Sofia said as she let him sniff around the stables, "But I wanted to let you meet Minimus, since I want to use him when I do Flying Derby again."

"He's nice, Sofia," Minimus smiled. "I'm glad he's going to help you."

"So am I, Minimus," Sofia smiled. She let Buddy lead her back to the family, and when she came back, she said, "I wanted Buddy to meet Minimus. Is that okay?"

"It's fine, Sofia," Miranda smiled. "Buddy seems to get along well with Minimus. But you do know that Buddy will be your focus first, right?"

"I know," Sofia agreed. "I know I can't participate in Flying Derby for a while, since I'm going to learn how to use Buddy as a guide dog, but maybe at a later time I can ride with Minimus again."

"The time will go so fast you won't even know it," Amber smiled.


	20. Family game night

Chapter Twenty: Family game night

Siblings: Amber, James, and Sofia.

Setting: After chapter twenty nine of family love.

Sofia didn't know why she took naps a lot more now that she couldn't see.

James once joked that her body always thought it was time for bed but after a talk with Cedric, Sofia knew the real reason why.

With practicing her navigation skills, her writing and reading Braille, it made her use more energy than usual.

And her day at school was no exception as Sofia found herself awake from her nap, feeling the covers in front of her.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"Two hours," she heard Miranda's voice next to her. "I came in to see if you wanted to eat something, but if you're still tired, you can go back to sleep and I'll have Violet or Baileywick bring up some food."

"No, I'm okay," Sofia smiled as she sat up. She felt something soft at her side, and her smile widened when she felt her doll's dress. "Maryanne?"

"Violet and I fixed her while you were in school," Miranda smiled as she guided Sofia's fingers over the repairs she made. "I think Buddy wanted to play with her, when he normally picks things up for you if you drop them."

"I think so, and I know it wasn't his fault," Sofia smiled.

"He is a puppy after all," Miranda mused, smiling as Sofia hugged Maryanne close. "And like all puppies, he'll get into anything."

"Where is he anyway?" Sofia asked, knowing that he had to be tired too.

"Sleeping with Rex," James grinned, seeing her awake as Amber followed behind him. "Like owner he also enjoys nap time."

"Do you want one of us to wake him?" Amber asked, seeing Sofia step on her stool.

"He might be awake now too, and he might be hungry, so he might like a little something to eat too," Sofia agreed.

"I'll go get him, Sof," James offered.

Amber watched from Sofia's window as James scratched Rex behind the ears as he slept. He started to pick up Buddy, but Rex woke up and jumped on him. She motioned for Miranda to guide Sofia over. She and Miranda laughed as they watched Rex and Buddy knocked James down and started licking him. "Rex, the guard dogs, and the hunting dogs always loved playing with James," she smiled as she described what was going on for Sofia.

"It sounds like they're having fun," Sofia smiled.

"How can he not with those two around!" Amber chuckled with a smile. "He should be happy it's almost the weekend!"

"It is? I wasn't paying attention," Sofia muttered, twirling her hair in embarrassment.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Miranda quipped as James came back in with Buddy.

"Did you have fun with Rex and Buddy?" Sofia grinned.

"Yes I did. Here you go, Sof," James grinned as he put Buddy in her arms. "I think Rex taught him the trick the dogs always played on me: pretending to be asleep, then jumping on me when I tried to wake him up!"

"They did that all the time when James and I were younger," Amber recalled. "They loved jumping on both of us, even if I tried to get away from them. James would sometimes get me out of the way and I'd end up with pawprints on my dress, while the dogs all licked him."

Sofia giggled as she tried to imagine the sight in her head, feeling Buddy lick her face while his tail wagged happily.

"Aw! He's missed you!" James chuckled, petting Buddy behind the ears.

"Buddy! That's enough!" Sofia groaned playfully, feeling the puppy now tug on her hair.

"Must be playtime," Miranda grinned, musing her hair. "We'll have family night tonight so don't let Buddy take up all your time Sofia!"

"Okay," Sofia smiled. "I think we should let Buddy eat something first, then we'll take him out to do his business."

"Oh, yes; James and Amber told me about that, but at least you learned to take him out after he eats," Miranda smiled, "And I know that he's just a puppy, so we can't avoid accidents, even if Buddy is housebroken."

Sofia modded with a smile as Buddy continued to playfully tugging on her hair.

"Okay Buddy that's enough playtime," James grinned once Miranda left, taking the puppy in his arms who thought he did something wrong. "You're not in trouble."

"James, he's still learning a lot of things!" Sofia giggled, calming down the whimpering puppy with a pet.

"I know, but Buddy, don't chew on Sof's hair," James said as he scratched him behind the ears. "You might get a hairball, and that wouldn't be fun."

"Sorry, Sof," Buddy apologized.

"Don't worry, Buddy; I know you're just playing," Sofia murmured. "You did a great job today."

"He sure did," James smiled as he and Amber helped her up and gave her Buddy's leash.

"You can play after you eat and do your business," Sofia promised with a smile, feeling Buddy's tail wag.

"With you right?" Buddy barked, leading her to the castle gardens.

"Until dinner," Sofia smirked, feeling the sunshine on her face. "But until then I can play with you."

"What do you want to play first?" Buddy asked.

"How about fetch? There's lots of room out here, and James and Amber say I'm getting better at sensing where you are so I can throw the ball to you," Sofia suggested.

"Fetch is fun!" Buddy yipped.

"Someone is excited," Amber grinned, petting Buddy behind the ears.

"Well Buddy is like his 'big brother' Rex," James smiled, seeing Buddy chase his tail.

"If a bit less excitable," Sofia added, hearing him run to his puppy food dish.

"But they always get so excited when it's time to eat," James recalled. "When he was younger, Rex would go so crazy when he saw me bring him food. Fortunately, he learned to calm down."

"And at least Buddy will become calmer as time goes on," Amber agreed.

"So Buddy, are you ready to go down and experience your first Game Night?" Sofia asked.

"Yes! Let's go play!" Buddy yipped, wriggling under her hand.

"Buddy! We play! Not you!" Sofia giggled, feeling his wiggling.

"He'll get his chance to if you drop something," James grinned, knowing that Sofia didn't mean to drop anything but it did teach Buddy fetch.

"He'll probably be tired by the end of it," Amber smirked, knowing that like his owner as of late, Buddy easily got tired.

"If you say so," Sofia smiled. She felt around for Buddy's ball, and smiled when she found it. "Fetch, Buddy!"

"You know, Amber, I have an idea for Sofia about balls," James started. "You know she likes dazzleball, right?"

Amber nodded. "What about it?"

"Well, Penny told me that her dad made a special dazzleball for her," James explained. "It makes a whistling sound whenever she's near it so she can hear where it is. Maybe we could have Cedric make something like that for Sofia."

"That's a good idea, James," Amber smiled. "She's been telling us that she's tired of sitting on the sidelines when we play."

"True. She has," James grimaced, knowing how often Sofia complained about it whenever her friends weren't around. "We'll ask Cedric about it after Game Night. Deal?"

"Deal," Amber smirked, hearing Sofia giggle excitedly. "You know James thanks to us, she's a lot happier lately."

"We did promise Dad that we'd help her when this first happened," James agreed. "And maybe we should tell him about the idea for Dazzleball."

"Are you sure he'd go for it?" Amber asked.

"I think he will," James assured her. "He always likes hearing our ideas on how we can help Sofia."

"He does," Amber smiled, seeing Sofia and Buddy run towards them. "Sofia! What's gotten into you?!"

"Can't I be excited?!" Sofia giggled as Buddy wagged his tail happily, licking James' face.

"I think she might have heard us talking about a special dazzleball, and she likes the idea," James grinned as Roland and Miranda came up.

"A Dazzleball? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Roland asked.

"I think it'll be okay, Daddy," Amber assured him, then she went on to explain about Penny's whistling Dazzleball and how she was able to participate in the game.

"It does sound interesting," Roland admitted, "Perhaps we should look at this dazzleball and see how Penny uses it."

"We should," Miranda agreed as Buddy placed muddy paw prints on her dress. "Down Buddy. Sofia's to your right!"

"Sorry Mom," Sofia apologized as she felt Buddy in her arms. "He's just excited about tonight."

"I wouldn't blame him for that," Miranda mused, petting Buddy behind the ears. "It's been a while since we've last had one."

"It's my fault for that isn't it?" Sofia frowned, realizing that everything they once did as a family had to be stopped because of the accident.

"Of course not," Roland assured her. "We know it was just an accident. Don't ever blame yourself for that."

"Your father's right, Sofia," Miranda agreed, "We didn't have game night for a while because we were all busy helping you learn Braille, learn to train Buddy, and help you learn to do things again."

"And look how far you've come," Amber said as she hugged her. "You know all your letters and numbers in Braille, you've learned to read and write again, you know your way around Royal Prep..."

"You show everybody how it's done on the dance floor," James grinned as he remembered their last dance class.

"Thanks to you leading me," Sofia smiled as she felt for Buddy's leash.

"But Buddy was the most adorable! Running around in circles trying to dance!" Amber recalled with a giggle.

"He tried, just like Sofia's trying," Miranda grinned, hugging her daughter close.

"He does his bowing trick in Sofia's curtsy class," James added. "And that's always a big hit!"

"I saw you teaching both Rex and Buddy that trick," Roland smiled as he remembered James working with the two dogs. "They did very well!"

"If he's going to help Sofia in classes, he should learn something too," James grinned.

"He should," Sofia grinned, hugging Buddy close. "Mom, Dad, it's getting a little too hot out here."

"Sofia's gotten us all beat when it comes to feeling!" James chuckled as Buddy lead her back inside.

Once they were back inside, Sofia smiled. "It feels cooler now, but the way Buddy, James, Amber, and I were running around, that must have been part of it too."

"Probably, Sofia. Now how about we start game night?" Miranda smiled.

"Wait. I just remembered," Sofia's smile dropped when she remembered that she wouldn't be able to see the words on the blackboard Roland and Miranda brought out.

"Don't worry, Sof, we'll describe everything for you," James assured her.

"And we'll help you with whatever game you want to play," Amber added.

"You don't have to do that," Sofia muttered with a blush on her cheeks.

"But we want to!" James teased, musing her hair. "In fact, you pick the first game."

"It can be anything you want," Amber added in reassurance.

"Okay," Sofia smiled.

"Good thing we asked Penny if there were games she liked," James added. "She gave us a whole list of ideas, and when we went to the village, we found some of the games on her list."

"And we asked Cedric to put Braille dots on all the cards and raise the pictures on them so you can feel them," Amber agreed.

Sofia blushed at all her family had done for her. She knew that they only wanted to help.

And she didn't mind that at all. The only thing she minded was how embarrassed in pride she felt.

"Sofia, you don't have to be embarrassed," Miranda assured her. "We know you want to play games with us like before. James and Amber had a good idea about the new games, and we can all try them, since we're all learning Braille."

"The pictures on the cards are raised as well, so we can all feel them," Roland added, taking a deck of the cards Cedric made and letting her feel the pictures and dots.

Sofia managed a smile. It was always nice of Cedric to go along with James and Amber's ideas.

She knew how helpful they had been since the accident and after calming James down of his anger towards Cedric, everything was different.

Amber helped her dress and do her hair while James made sure that she was between the two of them.

Just as he was doing now with Buddy curling at her feet.

"Shall we let sleeping Buddies lie?" he asked, seeing Buddy put his head on his paws.

"He's just resting," Sofia smiled. "I know when he's asleep."

"Okay. If he's still asleep when it's your turn to do something, I can go up with you," Amber offered.

"Thanks, Amber," Sofia smiled. "But if I go up, you can't give what I'm doing away."

"That would be cheating," Roland smirked, shuffling out the cards.

"And we wouldn't want that right?" James joked, carefully steeping over a sleeping Buddy.

"No we wouldn't," Miranda smiled, watching as Amber gave Sofia her stack of cards.

Amber didn't cheat during the game, but she did whisper to Sofia whenever she had a question. Roland and Miranda nodded; asking for help was acceptable during the game.

The next game was easier for Sofia, since she was able to feel the places where the pegs were supposed to go, and Amber would whisper when to stop or go, or tell her when someone else's peg was in her path.

"Thanks for the help, Amber," Sofia smiled as she heard James taking his turn.

"Anytime," Amber smiled back, stroking her hair.

"You're lucky that Amber hasn't helped you cheat yet," James smirked, moving up his peg.

"I will never cheat for Sofia!" Amber playfully yelled with a frown.

"We'll get James when this game's finished," Roland whispered.

Sofia and Amber nodded in agreement as Miranda took her next turn.

As Roland was taking his turn, Amber slipped over to the blackboard and started making a coded message. "It's for James," she whispered to Roland, Sofia, and Miranda, who nodded in agreement.

"Buddy helps too?" Sofia whispered.

"Of course Buddy helps too," Amber whispered.

The puppy began to bark at hearing his name as Buddy ran into Sofia's arms.

"Hey! Buddy!" Sofia giggled in a mock pout. "Stop it!"

"Buddy you wanna help us with Sofia?" Miranda asked, petting him behind the ears.

Buddy wagged his tail excitedly at the question, tugging at Sofia's dress.

Soon, Roland won the game, with Miranda coming in a close second. "Ready to get James back, Sofia?" Miranda whispered.

"Let's do it!" Sofia whispered back, Amber nodding in agreement.

"I like playing with James, and you!" Buddy yipped.

"I know Buddy!" Sofia giggled, feeling Amber touch her hand. "But you're getting him."

"Just pretend he's a dog treat," Amber mused, petting Buddy behind the ears.

Buddy barked excitedly, getting a little more hyped up than usual.

When Buddy saw James go up to solve the puzzle, he whispered, "Now?"

"Now?" Amber whispered to Sofia.

"Now," Sofia whispered back.

Buddy ran up to James. He jumped on him, knocked him down, and started licking him.

Amber and Sofia giggled as they heard their brother's cries of getting Buddy off of him.

Sofia especially who couldn't help but beam proudly.

Maybe there was one thing she liked after the accident had happened after all.

Roland and Miranda also joined the game when they held James down and mussed his hair.

"You still think Sofia and I are cheating at games?" Amber teased him as she led Sofia over.

James couldn't answer since he was laughing so hard under everyone, but Amber saw him shake his head.

"Good," Amber smirked, seeing Sofia feel for James. "Sofia, that's the carpet, not James."

"Opps," Sofia muttered in embarrassment as she felt an arm around her waist.

"He's right here, and he can't get too far," Roland whispered, guiding her hand over to him. "He keeps trying to back up against the wall."

"I got him!" Sofia whispered back, patting James' shoulder.

"Hey! Let me go!" James begged as Sofia felt him squirm.

"Should we?" Sofia wondered with a smile. "Or should we heard you say that you're sorry first?"

"I'm sorry!" James laughed.

"Sorry for what?" Amber teased him.

"Saying Sofia used you and Buddy to cheat!" James laughed, trying to avoid Buddy, who was licking him in the face.

"Should we let him go?" Sofia asked with a smile.

"We should," Roland smirked as he and Miranda had let James go.

Buddy sniffed around, spotting one of the pegs before grabbing it in his mouth.

"Buddy, drop it," Amber said firmly, "That's part of the game." She smiled when Buddy dropped the peg into her hand. "Good boy. We don't want you choking on that."

"Thank you, Buddy," Sofia smiled, patting him on the head.

"Sorry, Sofia, I want to play a game too," Buddy whimpered.

"You want to play a game too?" Sofia echoed.

"What did he think he was doing earlier when he was licking James?" Amber asked, hearing Sofia repeat what Buddy was saying.

"Being his friendly self?" Sofia grinned, petting Buddy behind the ears.

"Maybe we can include Buddy in a game," James smirked, seeing Buddy bark in agreement.

"James! This is family game night!" Amber chuckled with a smile. "Our first one in weeks!"

"Buddy is part of the family," Roland reminded her as he wrapped an arm around his children. "If it's okay with Sofia, we'll create a game that includes him as just not a retriever for her."

"Of course it's okay with me!" Sofia grinned. "What kind of game would Buddy like?"

"Anything he can sink his teeth into?" James smirked, seeing Buddy with one of the chair pillows in his mouth before dropping it near Sofia.

"Or anything with Sofia!" Miranda laughed, patting his head.

"Should we toss him another ball?" Amber suggested.

"If we go outside to do it," Roland agreed.

"I break one little stained glass window in the throne room and I never hear the end of it!" James pouted.

"And we couldn't even punish you properly for that," Roland smirked, putting him in a headlock and mussing his hair. "You can't be grounded since you spend your extra time in your room, and you work so much around the castle that we can't give you extra chores, and now you're helping us do research on blindness!"

"He is," Sofia mused, hearing Buddy bark excitedly as he (not meaning to) pushed her down, grabbing one of her shoes.

"How about a game of chase the puppy?" James smirked, seeing Buddy successfully running off with Sofia's shoe.

"Chase the naughty seeing eye dog does sound like a good idea," Amber smiled, helping Sofia up to her feet. She guided Sofia to the doorway so Buddy's escape route would be blocked. "Try and get out now, Buddy!"

Buddy barked excitedly, dropping the shoe as he ran in another direction.

Amber smirked as she gave Sofia her shoe back. "There you go," she smiled.

"Thank you," Sofia muttered, feeling the shoe in disgust. "Yuck! Puppy drool!"

"You've been hanging out with Amber too much," James joked, hearing Buddy bark.

"It's not too bad," Miranda smiled, scratching Buddy behind the ears. "It's easy to clean up."

"I know," Sofia agreed, "But I thought we agreed to get Buddy his own toys."

"We did, but they're not here," James admitted, looking around. "The last time I saw them, he and Rex were playing with them outside. I didn't want to break up their game, so I left them out there. But don't worry," he added, "I'll go out later and get them for him. But I will let Rex have a few toys to keep him busy."

"Maybe we should finish our family game night up with whatever Buddy wants to play with," Sofia smiled, putting on her shoe despite the puppy drool.

"If it's replaceable," Amber added with a smile, petting Buddy gently. He barked, nuzzling against her. "I think he agrees with me!"

"We know he'll love any game we pick," James agreed, rolling a ball toward Buddy.

"You're right," Sofia smiled, "When it comes to Buddy and games, he's not picky."

Buddy sniffed the ball before grabbing it with his teeth, seeing the door as his escape.

"Hey! Get back here!" James yelled with Sofia and Amber running behind him. "Amber careful!"

"I've got him," Amber grinned, blocking Buddy's path. "Nice try, Buddy."

"Buddy, over here!" Sofia called.

Buddy dropped the ball at her feet, hoping she'd throw it to him. However, he was starting to feel a little tired with all his running around.

"Look who's tired," Miranda cooed, seeing Buddy fall asleep at Sofia's feet.

"Looks like he's not the only one!" Roland chuckled with a smile.

"How can you tell?" James asked in confusion.

Roland just smiled and pointed at the couch where Sofia was starting to fall asleep herself. She was trying to stay awake, but she kept falling onto Amber's shoulder.

"They've worn themselves out," Miranda smiled as she took Sofia in her arms. "And again I say, it's a good thing we gave her the day off from her Braille lessons."

"We'll let them sleep, then if they feel up to it, we'll wake them for dinner," Roland agreed.

"Mom, maybe you should leave Sof here," James suggested with a smile. "That way she can practice."

"As in her surroundings?" Miranda smirked, placing Sofia down on the couch. "I wouldn't want her to get hurt but I know Buddy's going to help her."

"I'll stay with her," Amber suggested. "I forgot that I got some new Braille tutoring books from the library. I'll look at them while Sofia and Buddy are sleeping, and if Sofia needs someone, I'll be close by."

"Okay, Amber," Miranda nodded.

"I'm fine, really..." Sofia cut herself off with a yawn. "Okay...maybe I'll take a quick nap."

"You take as long a nap as you want," Miranda smiled, tucking a blanket around her. She smiled as Buddy burrowed under the blanket with her.


	21. The pageant

Chapter Twenty One: The pageant

Siblings: Elena and Gabby

Setting: Before chapter fifteen of I'm cute and other songs.

"You feeling better this morning?" Bobby Lee asked his wife with a gentle smile. "You scared me half to death last night."

"I just have a headache but mostly I'm fine," Nell said before turning away. "And I'm sorry about that. I just have the girls on my mind a lot lately."

"Oh look at that! Speak of the devil!" Bobby Lee laughed, seeing the girls run into their room.

"Spring! Spring! Spring!" Elena sung with a flap of her hands. "Spring! Spring! Spring!"

"Miss Milly is gonna pick names for spring today!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands.

"You mean the pageant?" Nell groaned, getting a little annoyed with Elena's singing that she normally enjoyed. "I talked to Milly about one of the roles. The role of the geese."

"Don't worry, Milly knows how you are about that, and she told me that Elena and Gabby will not be cast as geese," Bobby Lee assured her.

"That's good to know, but what about the other roles?" Nell asked.

"Well, since the girls know all the songs in the program, they'll be happy with any role," Bobby Lee shrugged.

"Mommy sad?" Elena asked with a frown, handing Nell Kitty.

"Mommy's sick," Bobby Lee answered, musing her hair.

"We stay with Mommy!" Gabby yelled, hugging Nell's legs.

"That's sweet, Gabby, but you and Elena should go to preschool," Nell smiled. "You want to know what roles you get for the pageant, don't you?"

"Mommy more important," Elena smiled.

"While it's sweet that you're thinking of me, this time the two of you going to school is important," Nell smiled. "I'll be okay. I'll have Kitty, Pinky, Lily, Bluebell, Sergeant, Ricky, Zoomer, Greenie, and Daddy with me to keep me company."

"We have jaquins named Ricky and Daddy?" Gabby asked, looking at the small group of stuffed jaquins she and Elena had brought out for a kitty party.

"Yes we do, and one of them is right here!" Bobby Lee grinned, scooping her up and covering her with kisses.

"Daddy! Stop it!" Gabby giggled, shrieking excitedly with each kiss she was given.

"Come on Robert. They gotta get to preschool!" Florence laughed, holding Ricky in her arms.

"Hi Ricky!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"You and Grand Mommy take good care of Mommy, okay, Ricky?" Gabby said as she kissed Ricky.

Ricky squealed and reached out for Zoomer as Bobby Lee, Elena, and Gabby left.

"Now girls, especially you Elena, don't get upset if you get a role that you didn't want," Bobby Lee said in an attempt to have his girls understand that not everything was always going to go their way.

"Okay Daddy," Gabby smiled, playing with the fur on her teddy bear backpack. "We won't."

"But no spider!" Elena yelled with crossed arms. "Mean boy Jack teased me with them."

"You don't have to worry about him anymore, Love Bug," Bobby Lee assured her, "He's in a different class now. And I heard that he's sick today, so he won't even be here."

Elena smiled a little at that. She was happy Jack wasn't in her class anymore, but she knew that he and his class were also going to be in the pageant with them. "What if he make fun of me at the pageant?"

"In front of so many grown-ups? I don't think he'll do that," Bobby Lee promised.

"Sides he nice now cause of his daddy and auntie," Gabby reminded Elena with a smile. "He even played with us and Ricky one time."

"Only cause his daddy watched him," Elena grumbled, petting the fur from her kitty bag.

"It's all right, Elena," Bobby Lee smiled. "I know it's going to take a while for you to trust Jack, especially since he's always been a bully toward you two. But you know that you should take it one day at a time. You'll be friends with him in your own time. And that goes for you too, Gabby."

"Okay," Elena said at last.

"Okay," Gabby agreed.

"Good girls," Bobby Lee smiled. "Now, do you want to see what roles you're playing?"

"Yeah!" Elena and Gabby cheered.

"That won't be until this afternoon after nap time," Milly smiled, giving the girls a hug as they ran out of the carriage. "Oh! Good morning Robert."

"Same to you Milly," Bobby Lee said, kissing her hand. "Helen isn't feeling well this morning."

"Tell her I hope she feels better soon," Milly said sympathetically. "And if she needs anything, let me know."

"I will," Bobby Lee smiled. "Now, since I'm filling in today as official classroom parent, what am I doing again?"

"Well, we're doing some reading tests today," Milly started. "I'll send one person at a time back to you, and you'll be listening to them read. Your job is to write down any mistakes they make. If they make seven total mistakes, then you send them back to their seat and send the next person back."

"Okay," Bobby Lee agreed. He saw that Elena looked terrified at the idea. He pulled her into a reassuring hug and said, "Don't worry, Elena; you know we practice reading every night. You'll do fine, and you know that we always tell you to do your best." He turned to Gabby, adding, "That goes for you too, Gabby."

"Do we call you Mr. Johnson?" Elena and Gabby asked, knowing that the other kids would have to.

"No girls. School or not, it's still Daddy," Bobby Lee smirked, musing their hair. "Now go to the Twin Table."

"And how often do the students get to intentionally call the teacher Mommy or Daddy?" Milly chuckled beside him as Elena and Gabby sat with their best friends Suzie and Sally, who were also twins. She cast a mischievous look at Bobby Lee, who frowned.

"I'll have you know that I was five when that happened, but luckily for me, nobody but you heard that!" Bobby Lee whispered, keeping his back to the class so they wouldn't see him turning red. "Not even Helen knows about that, and I'll thank you to keep that between us!"

"I've kept it a secret for this long, what's a few more years between friends?" Milly whispered back, patting his arm as Bobby Lee went to the testing table in the back of the room.

"Be lucky I'm being polite and dressed my best this morning," Bobby Lee whispered before turning to the class and watched them.

His little girls were placed in the front, almost having him worry about their vision.

It was then that he remembered that Milly had moved them there, not because of their vision, but because Elena and Sally had trouble with certain subjects. Sally wasn't autistic like Elena, but it was discovered that she had a learning disability. Milly and her teaching aide, Miss Nancy, gave them extra help whenever they needed it.

As the day began, Bobby Lee greeted each student and explained about what they'd be doing. "Hi, I'm Mr. Johnson," he greeted the first person who came back to him, "I'm going to show you some words, and we're going to see how well you know them. All you have to do is read, but I'll let you know when you can stop." He went a little off Miss Milly's script when he added, "Just do your best. It's not a competition with anyone."

The first person, a little boy who used to be one of Jack's followers, actually smiled at how nice he was being, and began to read.

Bobby Lee noticed how shy the little boy was as he read, having him take the little boy aside with a smile.

"What's gotten you so shy huh?" Bobby Lee asked gently, stroking his hair.

"I never met a daddy before," the little boy muttered softly, looking down at his shoes. "It's just me and Mommy."

"Well, you did a really good job and you should be very proud of yourself," Bobby Lee smiled. "We'll tell your Mommy how well you did."

"Yes, Daniel's always been a reader," Milly smiled as she came back and saw what was going on. "That's very good, dear, now why don't you go back to your seat and send the next person back here?" She whispered to Bobby Lee, "Daniel also contributes stories to the magazine Prince James has stories in."

Bobby Lee watched as Daniel went back to his seat and tapped Gabby's shoulder, signaling her to go back for her test.

"Hi Daddy," Gabby smiled a little as she sat down in the chair that was assigned to her. "Do I get my role for spring if I do this?"

"No honey. It's just a reading test," Bobby Lee reminded her, patting her head. "Daddy can't be Daddy right now."

"Why?" Gabby frowned, starting to tear up. "I like you being Daddy."

"I know, but for now let's just do some reading. I'll show you some words and I'm going to see how well you know them. All you have to do is read, but I'll let you know when you can stop," Bobby Lee repeated what he'd said before, adding, "Just remember to do your best. It's not a competition with anyone."

"Take it one day at a time," Gabby smiled as she began to read.

Bobby Lee smiled as she read. Gabby did very well, and when she finished, he had her get Elena for her test.

When Elena came back, she was nervous, even though she'd read with him before.

"Elena, Love Bug, it's Daddy," Bobby Lee assured her with a smile.

"Daddy?" Elena asked, looking at his nicely combed hair and one of the bow ties Bobby Lee had borrowed from Roland that morning.

Bobby Lee nodded, repeating what he'd said already about showing her some words, seeing how well she knew them, and letting her know when she could stop. He also encouraged her to do her best and that it wasn't a competition.

Hearing the familiar words of comfort, Elena started reading slowly. She stumbled on a few words, but she remembered what her daddy said, and tried her best.

When Bobby Lee had her stop, she asked, "I do a good job, Daddy?"

"Yes you did," Bobby Lee smiled. "You missed a few words, but other than that, you did very well."

"Yay!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands before looking down at her feet. "Sorry."

"What's the matter Love Bug?" Bobby Lee asked, only for her to stand up and walk away, tapping Sally's shoulder. "Love Bug?"

"Something wrong Robert?" Milly asked as Sally sat down.

"I'm not sure," Bobby Lee frowned. "Elena made a few mistakes, but she did very well otherwise. I tried to tell her that, but she looked upset. Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No, you just listen to Sally read for now, and I'll talk to her," Milly started. "We'll let you know if we need you for anything."

"Okay," Bobby Lee nodded, then he explained to Sally what was going on, encouraged her to do her best, and as she started reading, Milly went over to the quiet area where Elena was.

Elena's favorite toys were the soft and cuddly ones, making Milly smile before sitting down next to her.

"Hi," Elena muttered softly, petting the fur of a teddy bear.

"Hi. You okay?" Milly asked, taking her hand in hers.

"No," Elena sighed, not looking up front the teddy bear.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Milly asked.

"I flap my hands," Elena started.

"You did? I didn't even notice," Milly smiled. "But your daddy said you did very well with your test, aside from missing a word or two."

"I did. And I'm happy but I flap my hands," Elena frowned, looking at her hands. "I'll probably ruin spring cause of them."

"No you won't sweetheart," Milly assured her with a smile. "But why are you sad that you flapped your hands?"

"People give me funny looks when I flap my hands," Elena admitted.

"It's all right, Elena," Milly smiled. "Nobody's going to give you funny looks here. You know we're all friends here, don't you?"

"Yeah, but what if I flap in front of everyone again?" Elena asked.

"Are you worried you'll flap in the pageant?" Milly asked. When Elena nodded, Milly thought for a moment, then smiled. "Don't worry about a thing, Elena. I promise, everything is going to be all right. Now, why don't you go back to the Twin Table and work on that cute little kitty picture I saw you working on?"

Elena smiled, and as she walked back to her seat, she gave Suzie a hug as she went back to Bobby Lee.

Bobby Lee had lost count of how many times he had to repeat himself but with the last kid walking back to their seat, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He loved kids, especially his own. But the sea of faces looked distracted with their own things before seeing Elena look at him in tears with Gabby right behind her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Elena said she was sad because she flapped her hands after she took her test," Milly replied. "She's afraid that she'll do that during the pageant, but I told her that everything's going to be all right."

"Elena, you know you have nothing to worry about," Bobby Lee murmured. "You're surrounded by people who love you and accept you for who you are. They know what it means when you flap your hands. They'll all stand by you and support you no matter what."

"You mean that?" Elena asked.

"Of course I mean it," Bobby Lee smiled as he pulled her into a hug.

"Daddy," Gabby yawned, snuggling close against him.

"Preschool make her tired," Elena explained softly, wanting to stroke her daddy's hair but reminded herself that it had to be combed all day.

"It does?" Bobby Lee asked playfully, musing her hair.

"Well, she's in luck," Milly smiled. "It's nap time."

"Already?" Elena asked.

"That's right," Milly nodded. "While your daddy was doing the reading tests in the back, we were having class up here in the front. We got so much work done that I think we all deserve a nap!"

"Yay!" Elena giggled, finding her mat next to Sally.

"I noticed that Elena enjoys nap time," Bobby Lee smirked, looking down at a sleeping Gabby. "Wish her little brother was the same way."

"I know exactly how you feel," Milly smirked. "I'd put my little one down, but ten minutes later, she'd want to play. I used to lie down next to her until she fell asleep. No matter how quietly I got up, she'd pull my hand and say 'Mama story?' or 'Mama teddy?' or 'Mama play?' or something like that! Thank heavens she's in third grade now and doesn't do that anymore!"

"Okay, so I have to wait until all my children are third graders before they willingly take a nap!" Bobby Lee chuckled. "When Elena and Gabby were Ricky's age, they'd play and dance around. Helen and I would have to bring James in so he could help us with them! He'd sing the girls a song and they'd dance until they were exhausted."

"I've heard that Prince James is quite good with music," Milly smiled. "We have all the music for the pageant, but nobody to play the piano. I know this is a last-minute idea, but-"

"I'll run it by him tonight," Bobby Lee assured her.

"Thank you," Milly sighed in relief. "So how many months is Ricky now?"

"To the point where he has two teeth and has been weaned," Bobby Lee smirked softly, seeing Elena settle down for a nap.

"Oh? He bit Helen during a feeding?" Milly guessed, having once been through the same thing.

"Twice," Bobby Lee smirked. "After that, we decided that enough was enough, and we started weaning him."

"Good idea," Milly smiled, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help with this."

"I will, but Sofia, James, and Amber did all kinds of research on teething when Ricky got his first tooth before Wassalia," Bobby Lee explained. "They wrote down things they learned in books, and shared some of their personal experiences."

"Wish I had them to help with my daughter when she started teething!" Milly chuckled with a smile before tapping Gabby on the shoulder. "Sweetie, your daddy isn't your mat."

"Why?" Gabby yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Let's just have you lie down right here, Gabby," Bobby Lee smiled, easing Gabby onto her mat. "You just go to sleep now. We'll wake you up when it's time."

"Okay..." Gabby murmured as she fell asleep again.

"You're so good with the kids," Milly whispered with a smile.

"I'd had practice," Bobby Lee smirked, blushing a little. "Helen's little sisters were my practice of how to be with children."

"And it certainly paid off," Milly smiled. "Elena and Gabby are wonderful children!"

"Yes they are," Bobby Lee smiled at his sleeping daughters. "So, when should we tell them about the pageant?"

"Not for a few more minutes," Milly smiled. "Everyone's worked so hard that they deserve a little break."

"At least I'll get a good sleep tonight! I don't even think Helen's snoring could wake me up," Bobby Lee grinned.

"She still has that problem?" Milly smirked a little playfully.

"She still does," Bobby Lee mused, hearing luckily not his daughters wake up.

The one that did wake up was Daniel who ran into Bobby Lee's arms in tears.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Bobby Lee asked, sitting down with him.

"Monster!" Daniel whimpered.

"Oh, sweetheart, it was probably just a bad dream," Milly smiled, patting his back.

"There's nothing here to hurt you," Bobby Lee added, "You're safe, and you've got all kinds of friends here."

Daniel seemed to relax, and after a minute, Bobby Lee took him back to his mat. He patted his shoulder as he lay down again, and went back to Milly.

"Daniel's father died from a virus when he was a year old," Milly murmured. "He lives with his mother, grandmother, and an older sister. He hasn't had much contact with men."

"I can kind of relate," Bobby Lee murmured, recalling how he'd lost his own father to a virus.

"Since you arrived this morning, I noticed him staring at you a lot," Milly admitted with a smile "I think I saw a little bit of his drawing too."

"Really?" Bobby Lee grinned, thrilled with making Daniel's day.

"Yes, and I heard his mother say that she's going to be married again," Milly murmured, "Daniel seems to be excited about having a new daddy, but he's a little nervous too."

"Everything's going to be just fine," Bobby Lee smiled. "All they can really do is take it one day at a time."

"Now I know where Elena and Gabby get that from," Milly smiled. "That's good advice."

"Helen and I tell them that every day," Bobby Lee said as Milly started waking everyone up.

"Spring now?" Elena asked with a yawn.

"Yes spring now," Milly assured her, stroking her hair.

"Mr. Johnson?" Daniel asked, tugging on Bobby Lee's pants leg.

"Yes? What is it?" Bobby Lee smiled, taking him in his arms.

"Thank you for being nice to me today," Daniel smiled. "And I'm sorry I got scared at nap time."

"It happens to the best of us," Bobby Lee assured him, "Everyone gets scared; it's nothing to be ashamed of."

As Daniel sat down, Milly sang out, "One-two-three, eyes on me!" Everyone looked up, and Milly continued, "All right, everyone, it's the moment you've all been waiting for...we find out who plays what in the pageant!"

"Yay!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Hopefully not birdies," Gabby hoped, not wanting their mommy to be scared of them as well.

"You two as birdies?!" Sally giggled with a smile. "No way!"

"No, Elena and Gabby are not playing birdies," Milly smiled as she turned to them. "Elena, you're playing a ladybug. And Gabby, you're a butterfly."

"Like Auntie Madeline!" Gabby giggled, knowing that was Madeline's nickname.

"Well, it looks like we'll have two butterflies in the family now, at least for a little while," Bobby Lee joked as Milly read the rest of the cast list.

"I thought of another role for the girls in case the other ones get sick," Milly whispered to Bobby Lee as the girls played with Sally and Susie.

"What do you have in mind?" Bobby Lee asked.

"We're having some of the girls in the flower chorus," Milly started. "Elena and Gabby will either be a daisy or a rose, depending on the person they fill in for."

"What's the difference between the two?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Well, aside from the fact that they're different flowers, roses have costumes that cover their hands," Milly started, "so in case Elena does flap her hands during the pageant, nobody will see it."

"Well the sunflowers don't like their part," Bobby Lee smirked, pointing to two pouty little girls with crossed arms.

"I'm guessing they wanted the bugs?" Milly guessed with a smile.

"You can say that," Bobby Lee sighed, seeing Elena in the quiet corner with tears down her cheeks. "You rearrange the roles. I'll go check on her." He walked over to the quiet area and took his crying daughter's hand. "Elena, what's going on? I thought you were happy with how things were going. What happened?"

"Mean girl said that I can't be a ladybug cause they don't flap and if I flap, everyone will be mad at me," Elena sniffed, snuggling against Bobby Lee's chest. "Daddy why she say that?"

"She's just jealous since she didn't get such a great part like you did," Bobby Lee assured her, "And if ladybugs didn't flap their wings, they couldn't fly."

"Really?" Elena asked.

"That's right, Love Bug...or should I say Ladybug?" Bobby Lee smiled, mussing her hair.

Elena giggled as Daniel came over. "I'm a hummingbird!"

"Oh, the stories I could tell you about that!" Bobby Lee grinned, "You know I'm a junior guard at Enchancia Castle, right?" Elena, Gabby, and Daniel nodded; Daniel having been told stories of the castle before. "Anyway, when Elena and Gabby were born, I had to pull some extra shifts for some of the guards when they were sick. By the time I was finished, I thought I was a hummingbird of some kind!" He scooped up Elena and ran across the room with her as he made a humming noise. He did the same with Gabby and Daniel. As he set them down, they were all giggling as he said, "In a few minutes, I tried to drink nectar out of Gabby's head!"

"I heard Mommy wasn't happy with that from Auntie Madeline!" Gabby giggled, clapping her hands.

"No she wasn't," Bobby Lee recalled with a smirk. "But I hear that Miss Milly might change a few roles."

"Why?" Elena pouted with a frown.

"Some of the kids weren't happy with the roles they got," Bobby Lee explained. "But Elena, Gabby, you two are fine with your parts, right?"

"Yeah!" Elena smiled. "Miss Milly said I'm a rose if she wants one too!"

"I like being a butterfly!" Gabby agreed. "But Miss Milly said I'm a daisy if she needs one!"

"I'm not a flower, but I'll be the best hummingbird ever!" Daniel added.

"Well, you three don't have anything to worry about," Milly assured them.

"But I was reading a couple of books last night and found that the kingdom of Avalor does a sunflower festival to celebrate spring."

"Sunflower! Sunflower!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Well, you'll be really happy to hear this, Elena," Milly smiled, "because according to my cast list, not only are you and Gabby substitute dancers for a rose and a daisy, but both of you are also playing sunflowers in the second act of the pageant!"

"Yay!" Elena cheered. "Daddy, if I sunflower, can Queen Elena come see me?"

"I think she's going to be busy that day, sweetheart," Bobby Lee smiled, "But we'll tape the pageant and if she comes here or we go to Avalor, we'll take the tape with us and show it to her."

"Okay!" Elena smiled.

"Good girl," Bobby Lee said, kissing her cheek. "But you're a lady bug first."

"I like that bug!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down.

"Okay now settle down and go play until you have to go home," Milly smiled, musing her hair.

An hour later, after school let out for the day, Bobby Lee, Elena, and Gabby were back at the castle. Bobby Lee had even volunteered to be the classroom parent again, so Milly put his name on her volunteer list and said she'd let him know if she needed him for anything.

He smiled as he followed the girls. Daniel had introduced him to his mommy, who was thrilled that he had found such a positive male role model. Her new husband-to-be was just as encouraging and nice as he was, she'd said.

"Hello, everyone! How did it go today?" Nell greeted them as they came in.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Johnson," Bobby Lee smiled, "I'll show you some words and I'm going to see how well you know them. All you have to do is read, but I'll let you know when you can stop. Just remember to do your best. It's not a competition with anyone."

"Oh no. Daddy had to do reading tests today?" Nell started laughing. "He probably had to test the whole class, and now that phrase is burned into his mind!"

From the floor, Ricky cooed, rolling on his stomach as he held out his arms.

"Looks like you missed Daddy!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"He did," Nell smiled, patting her head.

"Mommy okay?" Gabby asked, taking a drawing out of her backpack.

"I'm feeling much better," Nell smiled. "Did you find out what you are for the pageant?"

"I'm a ladybug!" Elena giggled.

"I'm a butterfly!" Gabby smiled.

"You are? But I thought Auntie Madeline was a butterfly!" Nell grinned.

"Elena's also a substitute rose and Gabby's a substitute daisy," Bobby Lee added as he took Ricky on his lap. "They're also playing sunflowers in the second act."

"Good for you, girls!" Nell smiled.

"Gabby is that for me?"

"Yes," Gabby muttered softly, rubbing her bad leg. "It's me and Elena as a butterfly and ladybug, and we're with daisies, roses, and sunflowers!"

"It's beautiful! But are you okay? Maybe you should sit down," Nell said, helping her onto the couch.

"Will my leg be okay for the pageant?" Gabby asked nervously.

"I'm sure it will," Bobby Lee assured her. "You just overdid it a little with some stretches during playtime, but you'll feel better before you know it."


	22. The Rebecca incident

Chapter Twenty two: the Rebecca incident

Siblings: Amber, James, and Sofia.

Setting: A few weeks before chapter nineteen.

"Sofia, it's okay. Amber and I are here," James assured his crying sister with a gentle pat on the back as Sofia hiccuped.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Amber asked, putting Sofia's dress for the day close to her.

Sofia shook her head but looked away in shame as she heard their voices.

"Sof, can't you tell us what happened? Even if it's not a nightmare!" James pleaded, having her turn to him with a blush on her cheeks.

"You'll laugh at me," Sofia sniffled, feeling around for her rag doll.

"Sofia, we'd never laugh at you. You know that," Amber murmured, handing her the doll, and smiling when she saw Sofia pick it up and hug it.

"Okay," Sofia sighed, feeling her doll's face. "But just between us?"

"Of course," Amber smiled, stroking her hair.

"Anything for you Sof," James added, checking his pocket watch for the time.

"It's Rebecca," Sofia sniffled, "I can't get her voice out of my head!"

James and Amber sighed. Rebecca again. That girl had always been a problem for Sofia at school, and now she was giving her nightmares at home.

"Don't worry. Hopefully she'll be a little nicer today," James smiled as Sofia felt his face.

"Maybe," Sofia muttered, putting down her rag doll before feeling her dress.

"And if she's not, we'll be with you the whole time," Amber promised. "If she want to get to you, she'll have to go through us."

"Thank you, Amber," Sofia smiled, "and thank you, James."

"It's what we do," James smiled.

"We want to do anything that we can to help you," Amber added, helping Sofia down her stool. "We'll hear you soon."

Giving Sofia her dress, Amber and James had walked out of the room as Sofia felt the fabric.

If she wanted to get better with handling her blindness, she had to practice whenever she could.

he came out of the room a few minutes later, and she heard the happy sound of James and Amber cheering. "Well, I didn't expect this!" she smiled.

"Your dress looks perfect, Sofia!" Amber smiled, and hugged her.

"I got it right? It's not backwards?" Sofia smiled.

"It's on forwards, Sof, but you know my offer still stands!" James smiled as he hugged her.

"No, I'm not going to walk backwards all day and hope nobody notices!" Sofia giggled.

"We'd help you, Sof!" James grinned.

Sofia didn't mind the help though it annoyed her to have to lift up her arms and stand until the dress was over her again.

She didn't mind feeling the fabric however but made sure not to get over the time that she and the twins had before school.

"There! All finished!" Amber squealed, placing her sister's tiara on her head.

"Sofia, you look beautiful!" she heard Miranda's voice in front of her.

"Thanks, Mom," Sofia smiled, "Did you hear what James said?"

"Yes," Roland smirked, mussing James' hair, "And you don't need to walk backwards; your dress is perfect! We're so proud of you!"

"I couldn't have done it without Amber and James," Sofia said with a small blush on her cheeks.

"We taught her well," James mused, earning a playful eye roll from Amber.

"You did indeed," Roland smiled. "Are you ready to go back to school, Sofia?"

"Yes, Dad," Sofia smiled. "And James and Amber said they'd stay by my side."

"I'm sure they will," Roland smiled.

"And Rebecca will have to get through us before she can tease Sof!" James declared as Sofia felt his and Amber's backs to her chest.

"That's the spirit!" Roland chuckled, musing his hair.

"Now you better get going. All three of you," Miranda smirked, giving Sofia a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck sweetheart."

Sofia smiled as James and Amber helped her into the coach. "Do you really mean it, you'll stay with me all day?"

"Of course we will, Sofia," Amber smiled, hugging her. "We'll help you with whatever you need."

"Thank you so much," Sofia smiled.

"It's what older siblings do," James smiled as he hugged her.

Sofia found herself relaxed as the coach took off to Royal Prep. Rebecca wouldn't be teasing as much with her siblings around.

Relaxed to where she had fallen asleep to the gentle winds of the day before waking up to the coach landing and Rebecca's voice.

"Well, hello, Sofia," Rebecca smirked, "Long time no...see!"

Holding Sofia in a protective embrace, James glared at her. "As much as I enjoy word play, I don't like it when people make fun of my sister!"

"Leave her alone, Rebecca! What did Sofia ever do to you anyway?" Amber agreed.

"That's none of your business Amber and James," Rebecca smiled, musing Sofia's bangs to the point where they were hanging in front of her face. "There! Now you don't have to make excuses as to why you can't see!"

"It's not an excuse!" Penny yelled with crossed arms and a sniff. "If you knew what happened to her, you would be a lot more sympathetic!"

"Sympathy?" Rebecca scoffed, "I don't know the meaning of the word!"

"And from the looks of our last vocabulary test, there are a lot of words you don't know the meaning of," James smirked.

"Nice one, James," Amber smirked as she helped Sofia fix her hair. "Everything's going to be all right, Sofia, I promise."

"I'll write down what Rebecca does, so we'll have something to show the fairies," James murmured, taking out a notebook and writing down what had just happened.

"Good idea," Amber agreed. She became concerned as Penny sniffed again. "You look cold. We have some extra coats in in mine, James, and Sofia's size in the back of the carriage. Take your pick."

"I shouldn't intrude. Besides they're your coats," Penny sniffed, rubbing her nose.

"Penny, did you bring one today?" Sofia wondered, knowing to sense Penny's other senses because like her, Penny couldn't see.

"Yes, but I got too warm, and so I left it in my coach," Penny admitted. "I guess I forgot to get it back out when we landed."

"Don't worry, you can use this one," James offered, slipping the spare coat he had around her shoulders.

"Thank you, James," Penny smiled.

"And thank you, Chivalry 101!" James grinned, squeezing her hand.

Sofia shook her head playfully at James joking around as she tried to walk out of the carriage herself before finding herself on the ground.

"Sof! You okay?" James asked, helping her up.

"Her stocking is ripped a little," Penny muttered, feeling the rip. "Yuck! And blood around her knee."

"We'll get both patched up," Amber promised, taking Sofia's hand as she noticed tears in Sofia eyes. "Sofia? It's okay."

"We'll take you to the nurse and get you bandaged up," James promised, borrowing Amber's handkerchief and wiping the blood away.

"Thanks, James," Sofia smiled.

"And you can keep the handkerchief, James," Amber added, "We might need it later, and I'll ask Violet to wash it tonight."

"It won't do any good! You can't even walk!" Rebecca shouted.

"Oh, like you've never fallen down or embarrassed yourself before," James snapped, taking one of Sofia's arms, and offering his other arm to Penny. "Let's go, ladies. Come on, Amber."

"Thanks for remembering me, James," Amber smirked.

"So you thought you could walk down the carriage steps on your own?" Amber asked as Sofia looked away. "Sofia, I'm not upset with you."

"I just wanted independence for once," Sofia sniffed, feeling the pain in her knee.

"Trust us. We loved that you tried. Even if your timing wasn't so good," James smiled, patting her head.

"We're all here for you, Sofia," Penny added, "You know that, right?"

"Thank you, Penny, but what if something else goes wrong?" Sofia asked.

"Then we'll all help make it right," Amber smiled.

"But what if Rebecca does something again?" Sofia continued.

"That's why I'm going to be writing down what she does," James replied. "I'm keeping a record of everything that Rebecca's doing and saying, and when we run into one of the fairies, I'll show them what I've written, so they'll know what's going on."

"Good idea, James," Sofia smiled as they led her to her first class.

They all hoped that Rebecca wouldn't bother Sofia who slowly spelled out the words in Braille as she was still learning.

And from what Amber and James knew as frustrated grumbling and whining, Sofia had a difficult time with certain words.

However, she had to smile in spite of grumbling. It helped that James was sitting next to her and spelling the words in his mind that she was trying to spell to herself. He figured them out quickly, and handed her what she was trying to figure out. He wasn't learning Braille, but everyone knew that he had always been good at solving word puzzles and games.

"Thanks, James," Sofia smiled as she felt the bottle in her hands. "How did you get so good at word games anyway?"

"I don't know," James shrugged, "Aunt Tilly asked me that once, too, and Dad says it just comes naturally to me. And yes, I've heard him say that I came out reciting the alphabet when I was born!"

Sofia giggled as she finally spelled the word she'd been having trouble with. "I did it!"

"Great job, Sofia," Amber smiled, squeezing her hand.

Sofia smiled softly, blushing at the gesture. At home she didn't mind it but in front of her classmates and not to mention Rebecca made Sofia a bit uneasy.

It had been bad enough that she had been teased for her curtsy weeks ago as Sofia hoped that her tormentor wouldn't notice.

Fortunately, she'd been practicing her curtsy at home with Amber's help, and she managed to do a perfect curtsy again during class.

"Well done, Sofia! You've gotten so much better!" Miss Merryweather smiled, patting her shoulder as Sofia went back to her seat.

"Thank you, Miss Merry—" Sofia started to say before she tripped over Rebecca's foot.

"Oops!" Rebecca smirked.

"Princess Rebecca, you will see me after class!" Miss Merryweather ordered as she steadied Sofia.

"And this time I didn't have to write it down, since everyone saw it," James whispered as he helped Sofia sit down.

"I just don't get it. Why doesn't she like me?" Sofia sighed, feeling the wooden desk.

"It's because she sees you as weak. Penny she leaves alone somewhat but with you, you're new to the world of the sightless and you're still learning how to do things so unfortunately Rebecca takes it as to bully you," Amber answered, fixing Sofia's tiara.

"Which is unfair," James added with a scoff. "You didn't ask for what happened with you."

"And I know you want to sense the goodness in everyone, but sometimes people just don't have that," Amber added.

"I guess you're right, but I know that you two are good," Sofia smiled.

"We're your siblings. We're supposed to be good," James joked, musing her hair.

Sofia couldn't help but smile at the words. Yet Rebecca couldn't stop lurking in her mind.

She wanted to give up right then and there but knew that if she were to, Rebecca would have her way.

"Don't leave me," she whispered.

"We're not going to," James promised, "We're going to stay right by your side all day."

"But what if I have to..." Sofia suddenly looked uneasy.

"Do you need the bathroom?" Amber asked, recognizing the look on her face. When Sofia nodded, Amber murmured, "Let's go. I'll be right outside the stall the whole time."

"Thank you," Sofia whispered, breathing a sigh of relief.

Amber took her by the hand, seeing Rebecca's smirk before glancing at her in annoyance.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to mess with my sister?!" Amber snapped before taking Sofia to the hallway.

"Let me think about that for a minute. No!" Rebecca smirked.

"Let's go," Sofia whispered.

They returned a few minutes later, and Sofia was feeling much better. "Thanks, Amber," she whispered.

"It's all right, Sofia," Amber patted her hand, but she steadied her as Rebecca nudged her hard on the way back to her seat. "Rebecca, that's enough! Leave Sofia alone!"

"I don't think so," Rebecca smirked, then she saw James writing down what she had just done, and snatched the notebook away. "And I don't think you'll need that anymore!"

"Hey!" James jumped up.

"Got it James!" Hugo called out, grabbing the notebook from Rebecca's hands.

"Thank you Hugo," Sofia smiled softly as Amber gently led her back to her seat.

"Sof hasn't had it easy since the accident," James said as he glanced at Rebecca in hatred. "If you try anything else today or make Sofia cry, I'll write it down."

"And Rebecca, keep in mind that taking James' notebook is a killable offense!" Amber smirked, knowing that James hated it when somebody grabbed anything he was writing on out of his hands.

"I don't think he'll have to do that, Princess Amber, even though he certainly is dedicated to his writing," Miss Merryweather chuckled, coming over and seeing what was going on. "Prince James, you keep doing that whenever you see Rebecca bullying Sofia. At the end of the day, bring that notebook to our office and we'll go from there."

"You got it, Miss Merryweather," James glared at Rebecca.

"Tattletale!" Rebecca snapped.

"No, more like Protective Angry Older Brother," James replied as he and Amber sat down again.

They glanced at Sofia who was feeling her desk, wondering what to do.

The twins were lucky that Rebecca hadn't teased Sofia during the rest of the class and the class afterwards as they watched Sofia feel around the hallway.

"Is your notebook okay, James?" Sofia asked, trying to feel it.

"It's fine, Sof," James assured her. "I've kept it with me all day, and we'll all go to the fairies together after school."

"And don't pay any attention to Rebecca, Sofia," Amber murmured as she and James led her to the cafeteria. "You've been doing such a great job!"

"I'm just glad the day's almost over," Sofia muttered.

"What have we told you all day, Sof?" James asked.

"You wouldn't leave me no matter what?" Sofia asked.

"That's right," Amber smiled as she and James hugged her. "We're not going to let anything happen to you."

Sofia smiled as she felt the hug, not wanting to let go but knew that they all had to eat. Including herself.

Though she felt awful for her siblings to look after her like they was doing.

Sofia knew that Amber and James were helping her because of her lack of understanding when it came to her new world as she felt a tap on the shoulder.

The tap made her jump, having her trip over what she felt to be rope and hearing something rolling towards her that smelled like it had been filled with mashed food.

"Are you okay, Sofia?" James asked, helping her up.

"What was that?" Sofia gasped.

"Some sort of prank. And if it is one, it's cruel," Amber muttered in disgust, coming over to help her sister.

"I guess so," Sofia sighed, gently pushing James away from her. "Thanks you two but I can walk on my own."

"Even with your knee?" Rebecca asked with a smirk as Sofia found herself being covered with what she had tried to avoid.

Though she couldn't see what she was covered in, Sofia felt her eyes fill with tears as a few fell down her cheek.

"Making Sofia trip with your jump rope is one thing, Rebecca, but throwing food at her?" James added, writing the incident down.

"You do something that immature before you enter Royal Prep!" Amber frowned, helping Sofia clean the food off her face. "Come on, Sofia. Let's wash that stuff out of your hair. And you'll have to wear your gym clothes for the rest of the day."

"Thanks, Amber," Sofia murmured. "I know we don't have gym today, but at least those clothes are clean."

"I'll go with you if you want," Hugo offered. "I'll just stand guard outside the princess' locker room."

Sofia shook her head as a light sob escaped from her lips.

"Thank you Hugo but I got her," Amber said, rubbing Sofia's back. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Sofia and Amber came out a few minutes later, and Amber had Sofia's dress in a bag she'd found in the locker room. "Everything's going to be all right, Sofia, I promise," Amber murmured.

"I...Amber, I want to go home!" Sofia sniffled.

Amber frowned. "We have one class left after lunch," she started, "Do you think you can make it that far, and don't you want to go with me and James when he gives his notebook to the fairies?"

"I would like to know that Rebecca's getting what's coming to her," Sofia admitted. She felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach as Amber rubbed her back again. "I really do."

"Well we can't have you looking like you are right now can't we?" Amber smirked, getting out a spare hairbrush from her pocket.

"Ow! Careful!" Sofia yelped, feeling the brush on her hair. "I can't see my hair like I used to so it's been tangled."

"Don't worry, Sofia, I'll help you," Amber assured her, "But I am sorry; this is the only brush I have, and I know it's not the one you prefer..."

"It's okay, Amber," Sofia assured her. "And I really appreciate you helping me."

"It's what sisters do," Amber smiled as she helped Sofia with her hair.

Even with the confidence of going back to class, Sofia felt her stomach flip flop to where she felt that she was going to throw up.

But she couldn't. Not when she was starving and Rebecca was on her mind.

"Sof, you look great," James smiled when he caught up to them. "And I don't know if you ate anything, so I bought you a sandwich, a bag of chips, and some milk."

"Thanks, James," Sofia smiled a little as she took a bite of the sandwich.

"I also bought you a few packs of snack crackers, just in case," James added, smiling when Sofia didn't get milk in her hair.

"She can finish the rest at recess," Amber smirked, putting her brush back in her pocket.  
"We'll get her to a quiet place on the playground and she can eat or practice her Braille reading."

"That is if Rebecca doesn't find it first," Sofia grumbled, taking a bite of a snack cracker.

"While you and Amber were cleaning up, Hugo and some of our friends told me that they'd help keep an eye on Rebecca too," James told her, "Hugo and Vivian will guard you if you want to go on the swings or whatever you want to play on when you're on the playground, and Hildegard and Cleo will keep Rebecca busy with talks about girly stuff if they see her in the halls on the way to our last class."

"I hope you're right," Sofia murmured.

"Don't worry, Sof," James assured her, "Like I've been doing all day, they also have notebooks to write down what Rebecca says or does, and they'll come with us when we go to the fairies after class lets out."

"I hope so. Sofia's still upset with what she's done," Amber whispered with a huff.

"It'll work. I promise," James whispered back, musing Sofia's hair. "Sof, is there anything you want to do once we get outside?"

"Maybe we could go on the swings for a minute, then the merry-go-round," Sofia suggested.

"Sounds good, Sof," James smiled.

Even though Hugo and Vivian were guarding the swings, Rebecca still managed to come over and cause a little trouble. She told Sofia about the enchanted swing again. Recalling what had happened the last time Sofia had ridden it, James discreetly moved her to another swing, and he was the one that was the swing's victim.

"Are you all right, James?" Amber asked as she and Sofia helped him out of the fountain. "I wrote down what Rebecca did, but I mentioned that you switched places with Sofia."

"I'm okay," James nodded, "We've got to get that swing fixed!"

"James, thank you for doing that for me," Sofia smiled.

"Well, Sof, now we're even!" James grinned.

Sofia giggled as he suggested that the air will dry him off instead of him changing clothes before James and Amber lead her to the merry go round.

They were careful to spin the merry go round gently, knowing that Sofia had only just eaten minutes before.

That and from the last time James had her spin around in a fast speed, it was known that Sofia had a weak stomach.

When they went in for their last class a few minutes later, Miss Merryweather noticed that James' clothes were damp. She used her magic to dry him off as he and Amber explained what happened.

"You're right; we do need to get that swing fixed," she agreed. "But thank you for helping Sofia like that. Will you be all right for your last class?"

"I think we will," Amber nodded. "Sofia wanted to go home earlier, but she really wants to see Rebecca get what's coming to her."

"Don't worry, you three," Merryweather smirked, "She will."

Sofia nodded, confidence starting to rise in her a little as she hoped that Rebecca would leave her alone.

After all with it being the last class of the day, Sofia didn't want the mood of happiness that would be awaiting her to disappear before it had a chance to begin.

Carefully she felt what was in front of her, making little grunts as she wondered what it was.

"It's okay, Sof," James smiled, "Since it's art class, we're doing sculptures. You always liked working with clay, and it's easy for you to shape."

"Well, I can see what I want to make in my mind," Sofia admitted as she picked up a piece of clay. She smiled as she started working.

"Wonderful work, Sofia," Miss Merryweather smiled. "That horse is coming along nicely."

Sofia smiled. "Thank you, Miss Merryweather!"

"Don't say a word!" Amber hissed, noticing Rebecca's look of hatred towards her sister. "You made her cry once already!"

"So? How can she do anything?" Rebecca asked with a smile.

"She can do anything even with her blindness!" James argued, lucky that Sofia was distracted not to notice.

"Yeah well I bet that she's the one that caused herself to be blind just for everyone to pity her," Rebecca smirked, narrowing her eyes towards Sofia. "What a pathetic little commoner that only became a princess just so her mommy could get them both out of the poor house and to just be a waste of space for you both since she was stupid enough to let a potion explode in her eyes! Hey Sofia! Look over here! Oh that's right you can't. You were that dumb to where you couldn't move away from a sorcerer's piece of magic just as it was blowing up! Why don't you just do your siblings a favor and leave?!"

"Princess Rebecca, that will do!" they heard a new voice. Sofia followed the voice, and the rest of the class looked up to see Miss Flora in the doorway. "I heard you shouting next door, and I had to see what the commotion is about! You will come with me right now!"

"Miss Flora, I want to show you something," James murmured, keeping a firm hold of his notebook.

"I think some other people wrote down some things you should look at as well," Amber agreed.

"Very well, Princess Amber, and Prince James, Merryweather told me about how you were writing down what Rebecca did," Miss Flora smiled. "Those of you with notebooks, come with us. Sofia, you can join us, but only if you feel up to it."

"Of course I'm up to it!" Sofia shouted. "I'm sick of Rebecca bullying me, and I want to know that she's going to get what's coming to her!"

At the end of her shouting, Amber and James could see the tears that Sofia had held in during Rebecca shouting at her starting to leak out of her eyes.

"You just stay right between me and James, Sofia," Amber murmured, pulling her close and stroking her hair. "Once again, I promise that everything is going to be just fine."

Miss Flora led Rebecca, Amber, Sofia, James, Hugo, Vivian, Hildegard, and Cleo to her office. She looked at James' notebook and smiled at the detailed descriptions of everything Rebecca had done. She also nodded when she read the entries in the other notebooks. "Thank you for writing everything down for us," she said after a few minutes.

"So what happens to Rebecca now?" James asked.

Sofia wanted to know as well, unable to speak because of the lump in her throat.

She didn't want Rebecca to hear her cry in front of everybody as that would only worsen her teasing.

However, she did smile when she felt Amber patting her back and heard James humming a song as he squeezed her hand. She focused on the song until she calmed down.

"Well done, Prince James," Miss Flora smiled.

"Music has been known to make everything better," James smiled.

"Indeed," Miss Flora smiled, but all too soon, her smile disappeared, and her eyes hardened. "Princess Rebecca, thanks to the written evidence here, starting tomorrow you are suspended for two weeks. When you return, you'll have week's worth of detentions. And during the time that you're gone, I'm going to get together with the headmaster of Hexley Hall, and ask him if he'll take you back!"

"The sooner she's gone the better," Amber muttered.

"I couldn't agree more, Princess Amber," Miss Flora whispered back.

"You think it could happen?" Sofia asked as Amber and James lead her to the carriage after leaving the fairies' office.

"You never know Sof," James mused, gently stroking her hair.

"You mean she will know James," Amber smirked before seeing Sofia's eyes drip.

"Sof, listen to me," James murmured, tipping Sofia's chin up, "Everything is going to be all right. You'll have some time off from Rebecca for a little while, and while she's gone, you know Amber and I are going to help you."

"Okay, but what if Rebecca can't go back to Hexley Hall and she has to stay at Royal Prep?" Sofia asked.

"Then I'll do what I did today and write down what she says and does," James promised.

"So will I," Amber agreed. "I know I'm not the novelist James is when it comes to writing, but that didn't stop me from taking my own notes on what Rebecca was doing!"

"No it didn't stop you!" Sofia giggled, feeling the seats of the carriage.

"Come on Sof! You can practice feeling at home!" James laughed, helping her to her seat.

"No!" Sofia groaned playfully, feeling James tickle her side.

"Are you playing get Sofia dear brother?" Amber smirked, playfully rolling her eyes. "Can I join?"

"How's one of Mom's favorite phrases go again, the more the merrier?" James grinned.

"James! Why did you let her join?!" Sofia squealed, feeling Amber's fingers at her other side.

"You mean we can't cheer you up?!" Amber asked in a mock pout as James smirked.

"You know it's what siblings do!" James grinned over Sofia's giggles.

"But what do we tell Mother and Daddy?" Amber added.

"Miss Flora said she's going to meet with them when we come home," James assured her. "They'll learn about everything that happened today."

"Which means a family meeting?" Amber asked, seeing Sofia look ready to cry.

"Sof, what'll happen when Mom and Dad come back isn't your fault," James assured her, wiping away her tears.

When they got back to the castle, they saw Roland, Miranda, and Miss Flora in the throne room.

"Mom, I can explain..." Sofia started, but Miranda silenced her with a hug.

"You don't have to explain anything, Sofia," Miranda smiled, "Miss Flora was just telling us about what happened today, and I want to say that you did a wonderful job! And James, Amber, we're so proud of you for helping Sofia like you did!"

"That's right," Roland added, "You promised that you'd help Sofia while you were at school, and you went above and beyond that promise."

"But what about my dress, and everything Rebecca did?" Sofia asked.

"Your dress can be washed, Sofia," Miranda promised, "And at least Amber had a good idea about the spare outfit."

"It's better than her being more embarrassed," Amber admitted, gently stroking Sofia's hair.

"So what happens now?" Sofia frowned, brushing her feet against the carpet.

"We'll have to think of ways for you to have some more independence," Roland started, "There might be times when James or Amber get sick, and they won't be able to help you find your way around Royal Prep."

"We should also look into a cane or a guide dog," Miranda suggested. "Those might help you find your way around, and a dog would also help protect you from bullies like Rebecca."

"Would they work?" Sofia asked with a hopeful smile.

"It's up to you," Miranda said, kissing her cheek. "We won't rush you but your dad has been thinking of keeping you home for awhile."

"I think it might be a good idea," Sofia admitted. "I could get some more Braille practice in, and I would like some extra protection if James or Amber can't be with me."

"You're not just saying that so you won't have to hear Rebecca, right?" James asked. "I know she's going to be suspended for a while, but when or if she comes back, she'll be on the lookout for you."

"No. I've been thinking of some things lately," Sofia admitted, feeling her amulet.

"What are they?" Amber wondered, patting Sofia's back.

"You think Rebecca's rant towards you made you think about what you're thinking?" James added, lifting up Sofia's chin.

"Not just Rebecca," Sofia admitted, "But I think there might be other people who think the same way as her, and I don't want to have them think I'm weak. I want to prove that I'm able to handle anything."

"Sofia, you're one of the strongest people I know!" James assured her.

"And look how far you've come, and everything you did today!" Amber added. "You know we'll always be there for you, no matter what."

"Thank you," Sofia smiled softly, feeling Miranda take her hand.

"They're right Sofia. You shouldn't let what anyone says to you to heart," Miranda smirked, musing her hair. "Not even Rebecca."

"I won't," Sofia promised. "I'll get better at doing things, and I won't let anything stop me! Not blindness, not Rebecca, not anything!"


	23. Night night Ricky

Chapter Twenty three: Night night Ricky

Siblings: Elena, Gabby, and Ricky.

Setting: After chapter eleven of Vacation in Avalor.

"Auntie Madeline? Auntie Sabrina?" Elena asked, gently shaking her aunts awake.

"They're not moving," Gabby frowned, glancing at Elena. "You tell Ricky that story of the mean lady and now he woke up crying!"

"I sorry but Mommy and Daddy got really sleepy," Elena apologize with a frown.

"We let sleeping aunties lie, and we help Ricky," Gabby suggested. "We sing the song James sang when Ricky was sick and he feel better!"

"Okay!" Elena cheered.

She smiled as Gabby took her hand, walking out of Sabrina and Madeline's room to Ricky's nursery.

It made her feel bad that the mean lady was now giving Ricky bad dreams when he couldn't say what happened, only cry.

"Bad Ricky!" Elena gasped when they reached the nursery, seeing her baby brother try to rip off Greenie's head with his hands. "We no hurt kitties!"

Ricky dropped the still-intact Greenie in surprise. He started crying when he heard Elena scold him. However, it was mostly out of fear. He never wanted to hurt his kitty.

"It's okay, Ricky," Elena murmured, taking him in her arms, "You good baby."

"Mean lady scared you?" Gabby asked with a smile before feeling a tug on her hair. "Ow! Ricky bad!"

"Mommy has you wear green and me wear pink to tell us apart when it's night night time," Elena reminded her twin as she tried to have Ricky let go. "Remember?"

"Yeah! Green a good color, Ricky!" Gabby smiled. "Greenie's green and you like Greenie!"

Ricky giggled as he waved his green and yellow jaquin around.

"James wears green too!" Elena agreed, smiling as Ricky let go of Gabby's hair.

"Amber has a green dress and so does Mommy!" Gabby continued their game.

Ricky frowned as he thought of his mommy in a green dress. It just made him think of the mean lady with her voice.

It made him cry and had Elena join him in his crying as he was becoming too loud for her to handle.

At first Gabby didn't know what to do. She didn't want her siblings to cry, but she didn't mean to upset Ricky when she mentioned Nell's new Avaloran dress.

"Elena!" Gabby suddenly had an idea. "You know that song Miss Milly taught us?"

"Miss Milly teaches lots of songs," Elena sniffled.

"Let's sing the green song!" Gabby suggested. "It's not easy being green..."

Ricky giggled a little. If there was one thing he liked as much as Elena flapping her hands, it was when someone sang.

And when his sisters sang, it made him the happiest baby who ever lived.

Yet the mean lady wouldn't leave his head. Her mean smile and the way she had waved her wand at him and Zoomer scared poor little Ricky.

"It's okay, Ricky," Gabby smiled, "Daddy said the mean lady's not here no more and she can't hurt us!"

"Queen Elena say that too!" Elena smiled, flapping her hands.

Ricky squealed as he saw Elena's hands going up and down. He smiled and bounced in Gabby's arms.

"Is he quiet now?" Gabby asked Elena with a smile.

"Yes he is," Elena answered before noticing Ricky's face turning red. "You okay Ricky?"

"He's not sick," Gabby assured her twin, seeing her worried look. "Mommy said to me one time that it means that he has to go potty and since Mommy's in night night, we clean him up!"

"We do?" Elena asked in confusion.

"Yes or he'll hurt your ears again," Gabby smirked playfully before telling herself that Elena's autism wasn't something to joke about. "You get Ricky's purse! Mommy has a lot of his stuff in there!"

It took some teamwork, since they'd never changed a diaper by themselves before, but they remembered watching Nell change Ricky and tried to do what she did.

"What first?" Elena asked.

"Mommy takes the dirty diaper off and gets rid of it," Gabby tried to remember. She slipped the diaper off Ricky and looked around for a place to put it. She finally put it in a trash bin in the corner.

"Now we make Ricky bottom clean?" Elena asked.

"Yeah! Mommy uses these!" Gabby smiled, taking out some baby wipes.

"Mommy says that he likes that," Elena recalled a little bit from the one time they had watched her. "Ew! Yucky!"

"You okay?" Gabby asked, hearing Ricky giggle.

"No! Ricky mean! He got me wet!" Elena pouted, pointing to a stain on her nightgown.

"It's our first time cleaning him and Mommy and Daddy are sleeping," Gabby reminded her with a soft smile. "As long as he doesn't roll away bye bye, we're good."

Ricky tried to roll away, but Elena and Gabby held him down and cleaned him up.

"Now we put clean diaper on Ricky?" Elena asked.

"Okay," Gabby nodded.

This was a little more difficult, since they'd never done this before, or watched Nell change Ricky, but they did their best.

"There!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands. "All done!"

Ricky cooed, reaching out to hug his sisters before he whimpered at the thought of being alone again.

"Maybe we should sleep with Ricky tonight," Gabby suggested, rubbing Ricky's back to calm him down.

"But we're big!" Elena yelled quietly, a little confused.

"We keep Ricky safe if he has bad dream," Gabby suggested. "We ask baby kitties if they stay with us, since they keep us safe too."

Elena smiled. Kitty and Pinky were still in timeout until it was time to go to bed, but she liked cuddling Mingo, Zoom, and Estrella.

"But do baby kitties go night night like we are?" Elena wondered as Ricky whimpered again.

Gabby shook her head. "Kitties sing at night night time."

Ricky looked at his sisters before his eyes started to water. He loved kitties but with the mean lady, he was close to tears at the thought of the baby kitties going bye bye like he and Zoomer almost did.

"You want your kitties, Ricky?" Gabby asked, picking up Zoomer and nuzzling him against Ricky.

Ricky gave a happy little squeal as he saw his best friend in his sister's arms. He reached out for him.

"You want Greenie too, Ricky? Greenie's a nice kitty!" Elena smiled, nuzzling Greenie against Ricky.

Ricky giggled as he reached out for Greenie. At least his sisters had shown him that there were some nice green things, and Zoomer's little brother was definitely one of them.

"Ricky happy?" Elena asked with a flap of her hands.

A squeal answered her question as Gabby took Ricky in her arms.

"Let's get you back in your jammies," Gabby smiled, leaving her brother confused.

When Ricky was in his pajamas, he squealed when he saw a blue blur zip by the door.

"Zoom! You silly kitty! It's night night time!" Elena giggled.

"You wanna help us keep Ricky safe?" Gabby asked.

"Okay!" Zoom purred, coming in and nuzzling the three of them.

Ricky yawned, hugging Zoom before Elena replaced him with Zoomer.

"Ricky go night night," Elena smiled, kissing her brother's forehead.

Ricky nodded off, listening to Zoom purring next to him.

"What we do now?" Elena asked.

"We go night-night too," Gabby suggested. "We each have a kitty to keep us safe."

Elena smiled at Mingo and Estrella. "You keep us safe like Kitty, Pinky, and Lily?" she asked.

Estrella purred as she snuggled up with Gabby, while Mingo nuzzled Elena.

The girls had fallen asleep next to their brother's diaper bag, hearing Ricky coo in his sleep.

In the morning Elena had found herself to be the first one awake as she felt her mommy's hand gently shaking her.

"Well, good morning, you three," Nell smiled. "Did you enjoy your kitty sleepover?"

Elena looked around. Gabby was using Estrella as a pillow, and Ricky was cuddling with Zoom, Zoomer, and Greenie.

"We didn't have the heart to put you in your beds last night, so we let you sleep," Nell smiled. "And did you change Ricky all by yourselves?"

"You were night night and Ricky needed new diaper," Elena admitted as Gabby woke up.

"We did good job?" Gabby asked.

"You did a pretty good job for your first solo diaper change," Nell smiled.

"Did he roll away?" Bobby Lee smirked, musing Gabby's hair.

"A little. But Ricky went pee pee on me!" Elena pouted with crossed arms.

"He did that the first time I changed him too, Love Bug," Bobby Lee chuckled as Ricky woke up. "Well, hello, Ricky! And you have your friends with you!"

"Mingo, Zoom, Estrella, thank you for keeping Elena, Gabby, and Ricky safe from nightmares," Nell smiled, stroking each of the baby jaquins.

They purred, flying over to nuzzle Nell and Bobby Lee as Elena got Ricky out of his crib, holding her nose.

That was Gabby's cue to get Ricky's diaper bag, looking at her twin with a smile before placing Ricky down on the floor.

They both sometimes didn't like that they couldn't do the things that they liked with him because he was a baby, but Elena and Gaby were willing to help their little brother with nightmares and anything else in between.

"Well, how about this?" Bobby Lee grinned, getting out a fresh diaper for Ricky, "That's how the diaper looked when I changed Ricky for the first time!"

"Sorry, Daddy..." Elena apologized.

"We bad girls?" Gabby asked.

"Why would you say that?" Bobby Lee asked. "You did exactly what I was doing the first time I changed Ricky by myself!"

"And I see you followed Queen Elena's advice," Nell smirked, "It's like taking apart a tamale and putting it back together again!"

"And it looks like Elena's eaten her last tamale!" Bobby Lee grinned, seeing Elena looking sick.

"Ricky good baby and I happy we help him last night," Elena grinned despite looking sick.

"He had a nightmare?" Nell asked, kneeling beside her.

"About the mean lady," Elena frowned, biting her lip.

"Well, now that all of you have had nightmares about Shuriki, we don't have to worry about it anymore, right?" Bobby Lee asked, taking her in his arms.

"Right," Nell agreed, "And I don't think we'll read them the story of Shuriki again, or any time soon!"

"But you two did a great job helping Ricky with his nightmares," Bobby Lee smiled. "You stayed with him, and even had help from the kitties."

"We're his sisters," Elena started with a smile.

"It's our job!" Gabby finished with a giggle.

"And the two of you did a very good job!" Nell smiled, presenting Elena with Kitty and Pinky.

"Thank you, Mommy!" Elena smiled. She giggled, holding them in front of Ricky. "Look who's out of time out!"

Ricky cooed, clapping his hands before taking Kitty and putting her paw in his mouth.

"Yes, Ricky, you can chew on Kitty, since Elena shares her with you," Nell smiled.

"Sharing good and I'm a good sharer, right?" Elena asked.

"You certainly are!" Nell smiled.

"Yay!" Elena giggled, clapping her arms.

"Look at that! We were wondering where you two were this morning!" Queen Elena giggled, musing her hair.

"We help Ricky go night night," Gabby smiled, jumping up and down.

"So I heard," Queen Elena smiled. "I remember one time when we were younger, my cousin Esteban and I helped my mommy put Isa down for a nap when she was Ricky's age."

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"Mami left to go do something, and Isa was tired," Queen Elena remembered, "It was time for her nap, so I tried to help by putting her to sleep. I sang some of Abuelo's songs to keep her calm, but she kept crying."

"What did can-sue-her do?" Elena asked.

"Esteban came in, and helped me by dancing with me and Isa," Queen Elena smiled. "We sang and danced until Isa fell asleep, and Esteban ended up in Mami's rocking chair with her, since she fell asleep in his arms."

"As James would say, music makes everything better!" Bobby Lee smiled.

"It certainly helped us," Queen Elena smiled. "I sang that song I did when Esteban turned into a baby, and that song's been a favorite of his and Isa's ever since."

"We sang to Ricky!" Elena remembered with a giggle.

"You did?" Nell asked, taking Ricky in her arms.

"Yes Mommy. A lot of songs," Gabby answered, giving Elena Kitty.

"What kind of songs?" Bobby Lee grinned, musing her hair.

"It's not easy being green!" Elena sang.

"We did that one cause Ricky was scared of the mean lady, and we talked about your green dress," Gabby admitted.

"So Ricky assumed that anybody who wore green was scary," Nell mused. "Don't worry, Ricky," she murmured, giving Ricky a hug, "That mean lady's gone, and she can't hurt you. And green's a nice color."

"We told him James wears green, and Greenie's green too!" Gabby smiled as she nuzzled Greenie against Ricky.

Ricky squealed, reaching out for Zoomer before grabbing Gabby's hand, putting it in his mouth.

"That's not food!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands. "You silly baby Ricky!"

"Well, Ricky does know sweet things when he sees them!" Bobby Lee grinned, scooping Elena up and spinning her around.

"But don't worry, Elena; we know you're sweet too," Queen Elena smiled.

"Yes, Elena's so sweet that we all want to eat her up!" Nell grinned, kissing Elena's forehead.

"You happy we helped you Ricky?" Gabby asked over her parents' silliness.

Ricky cooed in response, hugging her close.

Though he wouldn't remember it as he grew, it made him happy that Elena and Gabby cared for him and loved him that much that they were willing to stay up with him until he had fallen asleep.

"Shall we put you to sleep after we get you a clean diaper, Ricky?" Nell asked.

"Or would you and Gabby like to change him again, Elena?" Bobby Lee added.

"NO!" Elena shouted, hiding behind her namesake.

"Robert..." Nell smirked.

"Just thought I'd ask," Bobby Lee grinned, spinning Elena around again.


	24. A guard and two protectors

Chapter twenty four: A guard and two protectors

Siblings: Gabby, Ricky, and Sofia.

Setting: Weeks after chapter nine of healing and love.

"Good morning Sofia," Gabby curtsied, giving her trainer a bow.

"Same to you. But you've lived in the castle for all of your life. You don't need to curtsy," Sofia reminded her with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I've just been itching to get out of here," Gabby apologized. "Elena gets to travel since her book's been published and I get cooped up in here because of an ankle. Or that was until last night but now I just want to do something daring, something exciting!"

"Something that'll give you another injury?" Ricky asked, overhearing the conversation.

"Ricky, what I do isn't a game and with it well you can't help but get hurt sometimes!" Gabby groaned in annoyance.

"I know, but I told you I want to make sure you and Sofia are safe, and you might need extra protection when you go somewhere," Ricky said as he sat next to her. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"She's come a long way since her first time coming with me on my adventures," Sofia smiled.

"Could you tell me the story again?" Ricky asked.

"Alright," Gabby smiled a little before Sofia nudged her. "Right. The protectors probably want to know of my recovery."

"Protectors?" Ricky asked, watching as his sister placed on her green bracelet.

"I've been updating them on Gabby's injury and recovery for a few weeks on," Sofia answered with a smile.

"Okay," Ricky nodded. "Do you want me to leave the room while you talk to them?"

"Let him stay; he deserves to meet them," Sofia smiled before Gabby could shoo Ricky out of the room.

Ricky watched as Sofia used her Enchantlet to talk to the protectors. It was so neat to see them appear in the circle and actually hear them. He gave the protectors a little wave when they turned toward him. When the conversation was finished, he said, "That was so cool! I've seen you snap your wrist and make that circle appear, and I'd wondered what that was all about."

"Well, it looks like you'll get to see us use them," Sofia started, "Gabby and I have to go on a mission. And since you insist on coming with us, you're invited too."

"Just don't over do it baby brother," Gabby smirked, nudging him in the ribs.

"And embarrass you?" Ricky grinned, musing her hair.

"Richard!" Gabby groaned as Sofia hid a giggle.

"You love me," Ricky smiled.

"Yes I do," Gabby smiled, accepting his hug. "But you know that only works so much!"

"Daddy does it all the time with Mommy, and she likes it!" Ricky smirked.

"Yes she does," Gabby smirked. "Okay, everyone, let's go!"

"So, where do we go this time?" Ricky asked.

"Do you remember where Elena is supposed to be this week?" Gabby grinned, musing his hair.

"A little. But I was asleep when she left," Ricky grinned.

"It's okay, Ricky, just come with us and it'll come back to you," Sofia smiled.

"Okay," Ricky nodded. "Are you and Gabby riding Minimus together? Daddy told me the story of the first time she rode a horse by herself."

"We usually ride Minimus together," Gabby nodded. "I'm not sure when I'll be used to riding alone on one again, but for now Sofia says I can ride with her."

"Okay," Ricky agreed. "And you know I'll be riding next to you the whole time too, right?"

"Thanks, Ricky," Gabby smiled.

"But please no embarrassment while we're on this mission!"

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Ricky grinned, getting on his flying horse.

"Not this time," Sofia smirked.

"Okay," Ricky smiled. "I'll keep my mind on business."

Gabby smiled as they took off on their new adventure. It would be interesting having someone new going along with her and Sofia, but she knew both Amber and James had come along on Sofia's Secret Library adventures.

"Remember if we spot Elena, we know where we are," Gabby grinned.

"Does she know about your protector thing?" Ricky asked, wanting to know.

"We're twins. We talk about everything," Gabby reminded him with a smirk.

"And do Mommy and Daddy know about that too?" Ricky asked.

"Of course they do! They're very supportive, but they tell me to be careful," Gabby nodded.

"Oh I see Elena!" Sofia cried, spotting Elena's curls from the crowd.

"She's looks to be having a good time," Gabby grinned. "And dressed fancier than usual."

"Well, didn't you say she was going to go out and promote that new book of hers today?" Ricky asked.

"That's right," Sofia smiled. "Maybe when we're done with this protector mission, we can stop and surprise her!"

"She does look busy. We should wait until she's finished. But I'll start us off on this mission," Ricky offered.

"Richard Edward Johnson the second, this is your first time! I've been doing it for years! I'll be leading this mission!" Gabby growled, going ahead.

"Okay, Gab. I'm sorry," Ricky said as he caught up to her, "You know how I am about being protective and learning how to be a junior guard."

Gabby smiled a little. "I do know, Ricky, and I appreciate it. But since you don't have experience with the protectors, Sofia and I will be taking the lead."

"But don't worry, Ricky, you'll do just fine," Sofia assured him.

"Yeah. Probably by the sidelines," Ricky sighed.

Sofia glanced at him glumly before joining Gabby. She knew that he hated being treated like a little kid when he could do so much more but he was Nell and Bobby Lee's only son and understandably there wasn't things he was ready for or properly trained for yet.

Especially when it came to being a protector.

"Did you know that James felt the same way as you, when he was told to sit on the sidelines?" Sofia asked.

"You told me the story once," Ricky nodded. "James tried to help you, but he made a lot of mistakes, but he made up for it."

"That's right," Sofia nodded. "I know you probably won't make the same mistakes, but we just want you to be careful anyway. It's just that you don't have the same training that Gabby and I have."

"Maybe we could find a way for you to use your protective skills along with our protector skills," Gabby suggested.

"Maybe we can!" Ricky said, brightening up a little.

"See? There's a bright side to everything," Sofia grinned, stroking his hand. "Come on! I see a landing!"

As soon as they landed, Ricky said, "Okay, Sofia, what are we going to do first?"

"What do you usually do when you and the guards see a new place?" Sofia suggested.

"Scout around," Ricky said automatically, "See if we can find anything."

"Good idea, Ricky," Sofia smiled.

Ricky took on the lead, looking around to make sure everything was clear.

Once Sofia and Gabby were told that it was clear, Gabby sighed softly.

"You can take the lead if you want, Gab," Ricky said when he saw the look on her face.

"Thanks, Ricky," Gabby smiled a little.

"No problem. So, what are we looking for?" Ricky asked.

"Well Sofia knows about it more than me," Gabby confessed with a smile.

"About what?" Ricky asked in confusion. "Why an it?"

"It's one of the Wicked Nine," Sofia replied. She and Gabby told Ricky about the objects the protectors were on the lookout for, and how they had to keep them away from Prisma.

"Which one?" Gabby asked. "You told me you got Ursula's Necklace, the Sword of Shan Yu, the Spindle..."

"I'm hoping it's not something magical like Mother Gothel's flower," Ricky shuddered.

"You're still scared by her?" Gabby asked in surprise. "You were three when me and Elena told you Rapunzel's story."

"I know," Ricky agreed, "But I've never been comfortable around that story."

"It's okay, Ricky," Sofia smiled. "But you don't have to worry. We're trying to find Mor'du's Claw this time around."

"Mor'du...He's the wicked bear from Princess Merida's story, right?" Ricky asked.

"That's right," Gabby nodded.

"Okay, so what does the claw do?" Ricky asked.

"Well it's not magical for one thing," Sofia assured him, knowing how weary Ricky could be around magic.

"And it's just an ordinary object," Gabby smiled a little before frowning. "I just hope we get it before Prisma and Wormwood do."

"You told me about that bird too," Ricky mused. "He used to be Mr. Cedric's helper until he joined Prisma, right?"

"That's right," Sofia nodded.

"Do you know where the claw is?" Ricky asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Sofia replied, making the rope appear from her enchantlet and making the circle appear. "Vega, Orion," she started when she saw two of the protectors, "Do you have any idea where Mor'du's Claw is?"

"We want to make sure that Prisma doesn't get it," Gabby added.

"Like from what happened years ago with the crown of Snow White's stepmother," Ricky recalled despite having been really little when it had happened.

"Exactly," Sofia nodded. "But don't worry about that, Ricky. This happened when Gabby and I were first learning about the Wicked Nine, and we promised that we wouldn't let that happen anymore."

"And he's with us," Gabby assured the two protectors who were glancing at Ricky.

"Richard Johnson the second at your service protectors," Ricky introduced with a bow. "I'll try not to be in my sister Gabby's or Princess Sofia's way during their mission."

"We know," one of the protectors smiled, "Orion told us that you were accompanying Sofia and Gabby on this mission. You are welcome to join them, but you are more than welcome to assist them and offer your own input."

"Thank you," Ricky smiled. "But we're looking for the claw of the bear Princess Merida defeated."

"We're hoping that it's in this location. I wouldn't want to make my bad leg sore," Gabby added, looking around.

"If you want, you can stay on the horse and he can help you walk," Ricky suggested. "I know you just got over a bad ankle and you don't want to overdo it."

"That's a good idea, Ricky," Sofia smiled.

"And Gabby, I'll stay right by your side the whole time, so technically you won't be alone on the horse," Ricky added, seeing his sister's worried look.

"Good. Because of the horse incident I'm still a little scared of heights," Gabby sighed in relief.

"Is our location correct?" Sofia asked, watching Ricky put Gabby on the horse.

"Yes," the protector replied, showing them an image of the claw, and some caves in the distance, "The claw is supposed to be in one of the caves, which are a mile away from our current location. We just need to find which one."

"It's a start," Sofia nodded, turning to Ricky and Gabby. "There are three caves, and three of us. We'll each take one and report any findings, or let someone know if we found the claw."

"That's great for you and Gabby, since you have enchantlets that let you talk to each other," Ricky sounded doubtful, "but how am I supposed to contact you since I don't have one of those?"

"That's no problem; I'll go with you," the protector offered. "We can protect each other, and I'll do anything that requires the use of an enchantlet."

"There's no 'I' in team," Ricky repeated something Bobby Lee told him when he was first starting out as a junior guard, and he wanted to do things by himself when he was in a group.

"Good advice," the protector smiled as they approached the caves.

"We should be careful. I wouldn't want anything to happen to any of you," Gabby muttered before playing pinching Ricky's cheek. "Especially my little baby brother!"

"Not here Gabby!" Ricky groaned as a blush came to his cheeks.

"I think it's adorable," the protector smiled. "But Gabby is right. It's best to be careful while you're here."

After agreeing to keep in contact with each other and report any findings, the group split up, Sofia taking the cave on the left, Gabby taking the cave on the right, and Ricky and the protector taking the cave in the middle.

"I think we might be the ones to find it," Ricky mused as he and his partner entered the cave after he made sure it was safe.

"You think so?" the protector smiled.

"Back home, I've read James' mystery stories, and he says that when caves or passageways are in groups of three, it's usually the middle one that has what the person's looking for," Ricky reasoned.

"Interesting theory," the protector smiled.

"Thanks...I didn't get your name..." Ricky admitted.

"How about you try and guess it," the protector smirked.

"I do like guessing games," Ricky smiled. "They're just as fun as a mystery."

"Indeed," the protector smiled. "Princess Sofia even gave us a copy of the book of mysteries written by her brother. He's quite good, but enough of that. Tell me who I am."

"Okay...you're not a girl, so it's not Chrysta," Ricky paused. "And you're not a mermaid so it's not Nerissa."

"I am Galail," the protector smiled.

"Never heard of that name before," Ricky admitted with a smile.

"Well it's not as common as yours Richard," Galail smirked. "But enough games. Do you see anything?"

"I see a claw. Too big to be a bird claw or a dog claw, animals that both my mother and Gabby are terrified of," Ricky paused, looking around. "You don't think it could be..."

Galail checked the claw with the image from his enchantlet. "That's the very thing we're looking for! We must contact your sister and Princess Sofia immediately!"

Ricky nodded, watching as Galail contacted Sofia and Gabby. "I hope they get here soon," he murmured, putting the claw in his knapsack for safekeeping. "But I've got to say it. This was way too easy."

"It was," Galail admitted. "It was out in the open, and we found it right away. There could also be decoys of the claw, since that's what its power is. They might have also found claws, and it's going to be our job to find the real one."

"It's a good think we did," Ricky smiled.

While he and Galail walked out of the cave, far from where they were, Elena paced back and forth, sensing trouble.

Being a twin, she and Gabby had often had twin senses since they were really little which often told the other that said twin was in trouble.

"Excuse me can I speak to you?" Elena asked, holding up her pendant that she had hidden under her dress. "I can understand any animal. And I don't want to interrupt anyone here."

"What's the matter?" a small creature, which Elena learned was called a Hoodwink, asked.

"I have a strong feeling that my sister Gabby is in trouble," Elena murmured. "I can't leave this book signing, but could you please check on her for me? I know she's a Protector like Princess Sofia."

"Of course I'll check on them!" the little Hoodwink smiled. "Sofia and Gabby are two of my best friends!"

"Thank you!" Elena smiled. She blew a kiss to the Hoodwink. "Good luck. I wish I could go with you."

"You have all these people to sign books for. You wouldn't want to leave them would you?" The little Hoodwink asked.

"No. Definitely not," Elena admitted, patting the little Hoodwink on the head before noticing a little girl tug at her dress. "Hello there. Is there anything you need?"

"Sign my book please?" the little girl smiled.

"I'd love to, sweetheart," Elena smiled.

She gently shooed the little Hoodwink away as the creature looked out for her sister.

"I do not have the claw! You can't just— Ow! My arm!" Gabby hissed as the little Hoodwink frowned.

Sofia, Ricky, and Galail ran up to her when they heard her cry of pain.

"You all came back! And you all have claws too," Gabby gasped.

"But one's the real one," the little Hoodwink smirked. "You won't find it in time!"

"That never stopped us before," Ricky whispered to Gabby.

"We'll find it, don't worry," Gabby frowned as they were left alone. Once the Hoodwink was out of earshot, she asked, "Any idea of how to do that?"

"You remember the story don't you?" Sofia smiled.

"Of course," Gabby and Ricky replied with smiles on their faces.

"Good," Galial nodded. "Now, as a little test, tell me the story."

"You begged Mom all the time to read it to you," Gabby smirked, nudging Ricky. "She would always want you to pick something else. But you would throw a fit! You even bit her one night because she picked a different story."

"You can't go wrong with a classic?" Ricky asked sheepishly.

"Maybe so, but I know that story," Galail smiled. "Only one who's true of heart can find the real claw. The others will vanish when the right claw is found. However, if they make the wrong choice, the real claw will be destroyed."

"And we don't want that to happen," Sofia agreed.

"But who is true of heart?" Gabby wondered in worry.

"Just think. Who's been the most helpful today? Who's been selfless?" Galail grinned.

"I'll try it," Sofia offered.

"Good idea," Ricky smiled. "Nobody's truer of heart than Sofia." Galail glanced at him, and Ricky continued. "She's been known to help everyone she comes in contact with!"

"So have you. I saw you last week with those baby kittens," Gabby recalled with a smile.

"Maybe I do have a soft spot for the small and the helpless. I blame how I grew up with girls," Ricky smirked before helping the little Hoodwink. "Oh you're still with us. You didn't hurt Gabby did you?"

"Of course not," the little Hoodwink smiled. "My family loves seeing you two around! We always have fun playing together!"

"That's true," Gabby smiled.

"But who has the pure of heart?" The little Hoodwink asked with a frown.

"Don't worry. We're about to find out," Sofia assured with a smile.

She instructed Ricky and Gabby to close their eyes and concentrate. The three of them focused on all the times they'd helped someone, whether doing protector duties, or did something for someone else.

Almost instantly, Ricky and Gabby felt the claws in their hands shake. They dropped them in surprise, and the claws vanished.

"Are you okay, Gabby?" Ricky asked when the dust cleared.

"I'm fine, Ricky, and you were absolutely right! Sofia had the real claw!" Gabby smiled.

"Who knew that a non protector could just waltz his way in and be the so called hero yet the two protectors always get in the way?!" A voice chuckled, having the three of them turn around.

"So you're the Prisma lady!" Ricky hissed, nearly tempted to pull out his training sword.

"Galail, get the claw to the protectors," Sofia whispered as she passed it to him, "Ricky, Gabby, and I'll hold off Prisma!"

"Good luck to you," Galail whispered back as he put the claw in a bag at his side. "I'll return as soon as I can."

Sofia thanked him softly as Gabby watched in horror, seeing Ricky tackle Prisma to the ground.

"I've heard about you for years!" Ricky hissed, pulling out his training sword. "You're the one that harmed my sister! If you try again, I'll slit your throat!"

"Ricky! Stand down!" Gabby hissed back. "We know how to handle Prisma! We know you want to help, but you've never faced her until now!"

"I don't want you hurt," Ricky choked. "You've been hurt enough."

"I'm old enough to face my own battles Richard," Gabby scolded but gently, seeing him in tears. "Ricky is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Gabby," Ricky murmured. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. I know now that what happened to Clara wasn't my fault, but..."

"Oh, Ricky," Gabby murmured, pulling him into a hug. She should have guessed it would be related to the conversation they had with their parents about Clara, and how upset Ricky had been, since he thought it was his fault. "It's going to be fine. The three of us will face her together. After all, it's us against her and Wormwood."

"And no Twitch. Thankfully," Sofia shuddered, taking a small breath. "He always gave me the creeps."

"I know. I remember," Gabby smirked. "But Ricky I need you to pretend that Prisma is attacking the castle."

"Attacking the castle?" Ricky repeated before a smile came to him. "You and Sofia are the castle."

"That's right, Ricky," Sofia smirked. "You need to protect us."

"I'll do it," Ricky agreed. "I can be a protector!"

"You are one!" Gabby giggled.

"You're more annoying than your sister," Prisma sighed. "But 'Ricky' you'll be a weak match."

"Nobody calls my brother weak!" Gabby yelled. She and Ricky started toward Prisma, Gabby recalling the fencing lessons from Bobby Lee, and Ricky calling on his junior guard training.

"Don't mess with, as Sofia calls it, the Protective Angry Younger Brother!" Ricky shouted. "Someone will usually PAY!"

Sofia couldn't help but laugh a little before see the little Hoodwink against her, shaking in fear.

Gently petting the creature, she softly smiled at Gabby and Ricky cornering Prisma.

She managed to get a good look at the Hoodwink at long last. She nodded when she didn't see the telltale diamond pattern on her fur, which she knew was what often gave Prisma's other partner Twitch away.

"I know what you're thinking, but don't worry," the Hoodwink assured her, "I'm not a strangeling like that scary animal that Primsa also uses. I'm just a plain old Hoodwink, Humbelle."

"I know," Sofia smiled, giving her a hug, "I just wanted to make absolutely certain you were on our side. But stay close to us. We'll protect you."

"You think they'll get her?" Humbelle asked with a smile.

"Ricky and Gaby know what to do. They've been trained for this," Sofia assured.

"I trust you, Sofia," Humbelle smiled.

"How are you holding up Gabby?" Ricky asked with a smile.

"My bad leg hurts a little but I'm okay," Gabby grinned.

"I think you should take it easy, Gabby," Ricky murmured, "I'll get Sofia to help me. You take care of Humbelle and keep her safe. I know you don't want to overdo it, and I don't want you hurt again." He grinned when she was about to protest. "What do you think you could do so you don't think you miss out on the action?"

"Well...why don't I call the protectors while you two get Prisma?" Gabby suggested.

"Works for me! You can still help us, but you won't get hurt," Ricky smiled.

If it was one thing Gabby hated about herself was her bad leg but even she knew that she couldn't over do it.

Gently taking Humbelle in her arms, she gently started petting the creature as she called the protectors.

"Excellent work, Gabby," Vega smiled. "We just received the claw, and it's safe with us. We'll send someone to your location immediately."

Sofia started to snare Prisma, but she escaped just as the protectors came. "I'm sorry," Sofia apologized.

"Don't worry, Princess," Orion smiled, "You recovered Mor'du's Claw, and that's what counts. That's another piece of the Wicked Nine that Prisma won't be getting her hands on."

"And shouldn't we celebrate our victory with another celebration?" Gabby grinned.

"Elena's book signing?" Sofia asked with a chuckle. "Not a bad idea."

"But we're surprising her," Ricky smirked.

"So let's surprise her," Gabby grinned.

"You certainly earned a break," Vega smiled. "And why don't you take your little Hoodwink friend with you?"

"And Ricky, you are more than welcome to accompany your sister and Princess Sofia any time you like," Orion added. "We'll even give you an enchantlet of your own."

"Thank you, sir," Ricky smiled. "I'll do everything I can to live up to this honor."

Sofia flicked her wrist as the group walked out of the third cave. Gabby couldn't help but feel awful for getting hurt again as Ricky flew beside her and Sofia.

He could see how bad she felt, placing a free hand on her shoulder to calm her before smiling as he spotted Elena from the crowd.

"Elena!" he called to her.

Elena looked up in surprise. "Ricky! Gabby! Sofia! You came! And you brought that cute little animal!"

"This is Humbelle," Gabby smiled. "She wanted to see you at your book signing."

"Well come down. This is such a surprise," Elena admitted with a blush. "I never expected to see all of you."

"Well, we finished up our protector mission," Sofia smiled, "And this time we had help from Ricky!"

Ricky grinned, smiling at his older sister. "We'll tell you everything, sis, and who knows? Maybe the story will make it into your next book!"

"Interesting idea, little brother," Elena smiled, then she turned to Humbelle. "And will you tell me the story too?"

"Yes!" Humbelle smiled.


	25. A day at the fair

Twenty five: A day at the fair

Siblings: Amber and James, Sabrina and Madeline.

Setting: A day after chapter eight of sibling team.

Amber noticed that something was wrong right away as she and James sang their karaoke song. He had just rescued Gabby from a flying horse, and he had been even more scared than she was. In fact, as Bobby Lee had said to Roland, James had been crying even harder than Gabby. Amber was trying to help James feel better, but she saw that even music wasn't helping him.

Bobby Lee and Roland came over a few minutes later. They saw how frightened James still looked, and they wondered what they should do.

"I've never seen James this upset," Roland murmured, "Of course, there was the time he lost his voice and refused to sing in public, but this is nothing like that."

"I know," Bobby Lee agreed. "We've got to do something special for him."

"I remember how he reacted to his first execution," Roland murmured, "The day it happened, he and Amber had nightmares. They ran to my room and spent the rest of the night with me. The next day, we spent the day together. Maybe we could do something like that...oh, I can't...I'm in meetings all day tomorrow..."

"That's okay, Roland; I'll take James out tomorrow," Bobby Lee suggested, "Yes, I know, Gabby's grounded, but Helen can handle her. And she'll have Mother and Bianca to help her too."

"I can help too Daddy!" Amber offered, having Roland cross his arms.

"Amber, we've talked about spying on others," Roland reminded her. "Including the royal guards and family."

"I know but I'm worried for James too," Amber admitted softly, holding back tears.

"Roland, let her help. What harm could it do?" Bobby Lee asked. "Twins know each other better than anybody else!"

Roland couldn't help but smile. He knew Amber had been spying for a good reason this time. "Okay, Amber. What do you have in mind?"

"Bobby Lee and I can take James out and do all his favorite things," Amber suggested. "I know I'm not a fan of some of the things he likes, but I'm willing to try them for him."

"Even skeet shooting?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Nell says we can't do that," Amber looked doubtful, "She says we'll shoot our eyes out."

"Not necessarily OUR eyes!" Roland grinned, Bobby Lee laughing beside him.

"Are you sure about that?" Nell grinned, carrying a sleeping Elena in her arms. "I caught this little one playing with the squirrels. Gabby told her they were kitties."

"To Elena everything is a kitty," Bobby Lee smirked, stroking Elena's hair.

"Good point," Nell smiled. She had been at his side when he and Gabby landed, and when she'd threatened to have Gabby grounded until she was as old as Bianca (and after Bobby Lee softened the sentence to only being grounded for the day), she had gotten James some of his favorite foods and taken him for a walk around the castle grounds to calm him down. "Maybe when you're done with your special day out, you can bring James back here and I'll see what I can do to help him."

"Sounds like a plan, Helen," Bobby Lee smiled. "Now, where's James? I think a little preview is in order."

"The last time I saw him, he was in his room," Amber replied. She had seen James on his bed, hugging his stuffed dragon Sir Blaze-a-Lot, and his stuffed dog Little Rex.

"I can help with whatever you want to do," Roland smiled.

"Okay," Bobby Lee grinned. "Gentlemen...and ladies," he bowed to Nell, Elena, and Amber, "shall we proceed?"

"Okay, but don't start without me," Nell grinned, "I'll put Elena to bed and join you as quickly as I can."

"Just don't let her see anymore kitties," Amber grinned playfully. "She and Sofia are a lot alike when it comes to animals. They just can't look at animals without playing and talking to them."

"Don't tease your sister," Roland smirked, musing her hair.

"You're right, Daddy," Amber smiled. "Right now James needs us."

Nell met them outside James' door, which was wide open. "I put Elena to bed as quickly as I could," she smiled, "I love that song!"

"Well then, Helen, why don't we have a little sing-along?" Bobby Lee smiled as he led everyone in.

James was on the bed, half-heartedly singing with the music. At the same time, he was working on one of his stories. However, he'd sometimes pause to hug either the dragon or the dog as he thought about the events of the day.

Bobby Lee smiled as he sat next to James and mussed his hair as he joined in. "You've been sad long enough," he said as he looked up. "We're going to have fun tomorrow, even if we have to do this all day!" He pinned James on the bed, and everyone tickled him as they joined in the song.

"Hey! Amber did you have something to do with this?!" James shrieked, trying to fight back.

"No! James I would never do that!" Amber pouted playfully. "Why would you think that?!"

"You just started playing this game after I lost my voice!" James tried to squirm away, "And I know you opened the door when that one song started!"

"Well, you did tell us you'd sing with your door open a crack!" Amber smiled.

"That wasn't a crack! It was a canyon!" James laughed.

"Details, details. Bigger is better, dear brother," Amber smiled.

Soon, they let James up, and as he caught his breath, Bobby Lee told him that he, James, and Amber were going to spend the day together.

"Like when Amber and I had nightmares and Dad cancelled his appointments to help us?" James recalled.

"That's right," Bobby Lee grinned.

"It'll help you with what happened today," Amber assured, seeing his frown. "And you had us worried."

"I didn't mean it," James apologized.

"You wanted to help Gabby, and we're so thankful you did," Nell smiled as she and Bobby Lee sandwiched James in a hug. "If you hadn't rescued her, she would have gotten badly hurt, or even worse."

James buried his face in Nell's chest at the thought, but the tears that were forming turned to laughter as Bobby Lee tickled his sides again. "What did I tell you about that?" he joked.

"Laughter can cure tears?" James guessed with a smirk.

"No James," Roland mused, messing up his hair.

"Music makes everything better?" James suggested.

"Well, that too!" Bobby Lee grinned.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Elena yelled with tears down her cheeks as she ran into Nell's arms.

"Oh Ellie... What is it sweetheart?" Nell asked, taking her in her lap.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Bobby Lee asked, kissing her cheek.

"Gabby on horsie!" Elena cried.

"That's true, Love Bug, but thanks to James, she's safe," Nell smiled.

"James help Gabby!" Elena smiled, flapping her hands.

"He certainly did," Nell smiled. "Daddy's taking him and Amber out tomorrow to thank him."

"I come too?" Elena asked.

"Not right away, but we'll have some fun with James when he comes back," Nell smiled.

"I play with kitties until then?" Elena grinned.

"Yes you can play with your new friends the squirrels," Nell smiled, musing her hair.

"Squirrels kitties?" Elena asked, getting a little confused.

"I'll show you which ones are which," Nell smiled. "And I'm sure Sofia would love to play with you and your friends too."

"Gabby play too?" Elena asked.

"Not this time, Ellie," Nell paused, wondering how she could explain the punishment so Elena would understand. "Gabby did something very naughty, as well as dangerous, so she's going to be in timeout all day tomorrow."

"All day?" Elena frowned.

"Don't worry Mommy will make sure she goes potty while in timeout," Bobby Lee assured her, taking Elena in his arms. "Let's get you back to sleep."

"No horsie!" Elena yelled, shaking her head. "Horsie bad!"

"Well, the horsie Gabby rode on was bad," Nell agreed. "We've all agreed that he won't be able to come back until he's used to loud noises."

"But not all horsies are bad, Love Bug," Bobby Lee added. "You've seen Sofia's horse, and he's really nice. He wouldn't even hurt a fly, unless the fly started it!" He smiled as Elena giggled. "And you saw James riding his horse when he helped Gabby."

"Horsies good!" Elena cheered.

"Most horsies are good, Ellie," Nell smiled. "It all depends on how they behave around certain things."

"Like me!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Exactly like you!" Amber chuckled playfully, musing her hair. "But now you need beauty sleep!"

"Then I see James?" Elena yawned. "Or is it night night time?"

"You can see James for a minute before you go to sleep," Nell smiled. "I'm sure he'd love to see another friendly face."

Nell brought Elena to James' room as he was reading the story he'd been working on. "How's the story coming?" she greeted him.

"Okay," James shrugged. "I have some ideas, but I don't know how to put them together."

"I've written a few stories," Nell smiled, "Maybe I can help you."

"I'll take you up on that, Nell," James smiled. "Hi, Elena."

"Hi," Elena smiled, looking at his story. "Where pictures?"

"I haven't drawn them yet," James smirked. "I gotta write the story first."

"Oh. Night night," Elena said, kissing his cheek. "You ride horsie good."

"Thanks, Elena," James smiled, blushing at the kiss and compliment.

"We read story later?" Elena asked.

"Sure," James agreed, smiling as Elena tucked Sir Blaze-a-Lot and Little Rex in with him.

The next morning, after breakfast, James met Bobby Lee and Amber in the hall. "So, what are we doing today?" James asked.

"Whatever you want," Bobby Lee smiled.

"I will accept anything that you want to do today," Amber smiled, seeing Elena talking to Sofia. "Sofia might be in for a long day of playing with kitties."

"Squirrel kitties," Bobby Lee corrected in case Elena was hearing them.

"Right...squirrel kitties," Amber agreed. "So, James, what would you like to do first?"

"Well, I heard the Start-of-Summer Carnival is in town for the next few days," James mused, "Maybe we could do something there?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Bobby Lee smiled.

"Me too!" Amber agreed.

"And I was thinking, if we play some of the games they have, we could give something we win to Sofia, Nell, Elena, and Gabby," James added.

"That's really nice of you to think of them, James," Amber smiled.

"After what happened yesterday it's the least I can do," James smiled.

"We might see Sabrina and Madeline there too. They're with their school today," Bobby Lee recalled with a smile.

"That would explain their excitement all this week!" Amber chuckled.

"Bobby Lee! James! Amber!" Madeline shouted, seeing them in the crowd.

"Speak of the devil," Bobby Lee smirked as Madeline and Sabrina ran up to them. "Hello, girls! How's the fair going?"

"It's fun," Sabrina smiled. "We didn't know you were coming here!"

"We're having a special day out for James," Amber explained. "I think you know what happened yesterday at the party with Gabby and that horse."

Madeline's smile faded. She'd been in the line with Bianca for a ride, and she saw James jump onto his horse and fly up to Gabby. "Are they okay?"

"Gabby's fine. Grounded but fine," Amber answered with a smile.

"And James is not?" Sabrina started with a frown.

"Because he's scared?" Madeline finished, knowing the fear well.

"We're working on it, but we're hopeful that he'll feel better as the day goes on," Amber smiled. "Do you two want to join us?"

"Yes!" Madeline cheered.

"Okay," Sabrina added. "This is a half-day for us anyway, and it is the last day of school."

"And what a way to celebrate that," Bobby Lee grinned.

After explaining to their second grade teacher that he would have them for the rest of the day, Bobby Lee took Madeline by the hand as Sabrina ran ahead in excitement.

"At least we know where Elena gets her energy from," Amber smirked playfully.

"Speaking of Elena, I saw some kitties," Madeline said, noticing a child Gabby and Elena's age carrying a stuffed cat. "Gabby probably would want something else though."

"Why don't we win one for her?" James suggested.

"I think she'd like that," Amber smiled.

When they saw the game, everyone played a few times until they won something for not just Nell, Sofia, Elena, Gabby, Bianca, and Florence, but also for Madeline, Sabrina, and Amber. James and Bobby Lee also played again and won themselves toys.

"That was fun!" Sabrina smiled as she hugged the teddy bear James won for her. "And James, the kitty you won is really cute!"

James grinned at the green camouflage cat-like animal he'd won. "He sure is, and I can always use another little friend to bounce story ideas off of."

"James! I found a booth you'll love!" Amber called a few minutes later.

"What is it?" James asked as he came up.

"You can make a CD of yourself singing!" Amber smiled.

"No! Amber, you've doomed us all! He'll be here forever now!" Bobby Lee joked.

"I don't mind," Madeline smirked, hugging her butterfly that she had won herself. "It'll be entertaining!"

"You just want to hear him sing don't you?" Sabrina asked her twin playfully.

"Why not? He's a good singer," Madeline answered with a smile.

"Yes he is," Amber smiled as James happily entered the booth and picked out a song.

Everyone did enjoy hearing James sing. He made some CDs not only for himself, but one for Elena and Gabby. Even Bobby Lee made some CDs for Nell.

"I'm sure they'll enjoy it," Sabrina grinned before seeing some horses. "Oh! Horses!"

"We never got our ride yesterday," Madeline added, tugging on Bobby Lee's pants leg. "Please?!"

"Just don't spook it," Bobby Lee grinned, nodding his head.

Madeline and Sabrina made sure to stay calm on the horse. They didn't want James to get scared or upset again.

However, Bobby Lee saw the look on James' face. He was watching the girls, but he was biting his lip and he looked worried. "It's okay, James; the horse they're on is older than the one Gabby rode," he assured him as he patted his shoulder. "They're fine."

"That was so much fun!" Madeline smiled when she and Sabrina came back a minute later.

Sabrina smiled, but when she saw the look on James' face, she looked worried. "Are you okay, James?"

"He looks scared," Madeline whispered softly in Amber's ear. "Is James scared of horses?"

"No. He never has been," Amber whispered back. "Unless it has something to do with yesterday."

"It does," James admitted, still biting his lip.

"It's all right, James," Sabrina said as she hugged him. "We know what happened with Gabby, but that's only because she was alone on the horse."

"Yeah," Madeline agreed, "Miss Bianca offered to go with Sabrina, then me, when it was our turn. And Nell told us that it was a new horse that Gabby rode on, and he wasn't used to the loud noises. We saw you jump on your horse and fly up to Gabby. Nell told us everything that night."

"You were so brave," Sabrina smiled, but she slipped her handkerchief into James' hand, just in case.

"You did the right thing, James," Amber agreed as James buried his face in the handkerchief.

"But I saw Gabby dangling from the air! If she had slipped, she could've—" James began before he started to cry.

"You got her before she fell," Sabrina reminded him with a hug.

"And even if Gabby did fall, it wouldn't have been your fault," Madeline added softly, holding back tears of her own. "Nell was so scared."

"Elena was too. She hugged my leg until it was over," Bobby Lee recalled, helping James with the handkerchief.

"I'm sorry," James' voice was muffled in Bobby Lee's chest. "You wanted to help me and then I had to go and ruin everything!"

"You didn't ruin anything," Bobby Lee murmured, stroking his hair. "We know you're not scared of horses, but you don't have to ride one now if you don't want to."

"Bobby Lee's right. Let's do something we can all enjoy," Amber suggested.

"Something fun!" Madeline suggested with a giggle.

"Something to get your mind off the horse," Sabrina added, playing with James' hair. "Weren't you having fun before?"

"I was," James sniffed, rubbing his nose. "Gabby's incident with the flying horse didn't bother me then."

"Everything's going to be all right, James," Amber murmured, taking his hand. "Come on. I saw a few games and rides we haven't tried yet."

"Let's get ice cream too!" Madeline added. "Ice cream makes everything better!"

"I thought it was music that made everything better," James smiled a little.

"You can't eat music!" Sabrina giggled. "Besides if Nell was here, she would say no to ice cream."

"She would only say no so you won't spoil your dinner," Bobby Lee smirked.

"It's not dinner time anyway," Madeline smiled as she saw Amber go over to a cart and speak to a vendor.

"Need some help, Amber?" Bobby Lee asked, seeing her come back loaded down with bags of food.

"Thanks. Madeline's right that it's not dinner time, but I did manage to buy lunch for everyone," Amber smiled as she reached into a bag and passed out five hot dogs, five bags of chips, five cans of pop, and five ice cream sandwiches. "James sometimes does this when the family goes to outdoor events. One time, he had to have Sofia help him carry everything!"

"Hey! She volunteered!" James pouted playfully, reaching for his bag of chips. "And it wasn't my fault for her stomachache!"

"You sure?" Amber teased playfully. "Because I remember Sofia calling out your name when it happened."

"That's right, blame me for everything," James smirked.

"Should we get him again?" Madeline whispered.

"No, let's eat first," Bobby Lee whispered back. "We'll get him when we get home. Besides, it's not a good idea to do that when someone's eating; they may choke. And it's not a good idea to make someone laugh when they're drinking pop; the bubbles hurt when they come out your nose!"

"That's right, you did that with Nell," Sabrina whispered, giggling at the memory.

Bobby Lee smirked at the memory, letting the girls enjoy their lunch with Amber and James before Madeline spotted a squirrel.

"No we're not taking it home for Elena to play with," James smirked, seeing the gleam in her eye.

"It belongs here," Amber added with a smile.

"Okay," Madeline smiled.

After a few more games, and after Amber, Bobby Lee, and James took a ride on a flying horse, which James enjoyed, everyone collected the bags of prizes and goodies, and made their way back to the wagon.

"Thanks for the brilliant day, everyone," James smiled as they made their way back home.

"It was fun," Bobby Lee smiled. "We wanted to do something special to cheer you up."

"And after yesterday, you needed it," Amber grinned, musing his hair.

"Hopefully Gabby enjoys her gift," Sabrina sighed, hugging her teddy bear close. "I feel bad that she had to miss today."

"Maybe after her punishment's over, Nell and I'll take her and Elena here," Bobby Lee smiled. "Of course, we'll make sure she stays away from the horses, but they'll love everything else!"

"And like I said, I did win her something," James added, holding up the little yellow doll he'd won at one of the games. It wore a grass skirt, coconuts, and goggles. Nobody knew what it was, but they agreed that it was cute and Gabby would like it.

"Hello, everyone!" Nell called when they came in. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yes we did, and we've got presents for everyone!" Bobby Lee smiled as he gave her a doll he'd won for her.  
18m ago"Bobby Lee, thank you," Nell blushed, taking the doll in her arms.

"I'm the squirrel kitties princess!" Elena giggled as the squirrels she befriended followed behind her.

"You're not taking them inside!" Sofia shouted, running after her.

"Elena! We've got something for you!" Sabrina called.

"Kitty dolly!" Elena cheered, taking the kitty doll. "Thank you!"

"And thank you for this bunny doll," Sofia smiled as she accepted a stuffed rabbit from James. "So, are you feeling better, James?"

"I am feeling better," James smiled, "I had a few little setbacks here and there, but other than those I was fine."

"Yes he was," Bobby Lee smiled, "Now, how would you like to come inside with us and continue the fun?"

"But first, I want to give Gabby the doll I won for her," James looked up at Nell. "If that's okay?"

"Of course it is," Nell smiled, "Florence and Bianca are up with her right now, and they'll want to hear all about this."

"As for you Elena it's time for you to say bye bye to the squirrels for awhile," Sofia grinned, taking her hand.

"They want to stay!" Elena pouted. "Squirrel kitties like me! And I named them!"

"Don't you want to see the new friends we got for everyone?" Bobby Lee asked, holding up his bag.

"Some of the new friends we got are really cute, and don't you want to see the doll I won for Gabby?" James asked.

"Okay. I see Gabby's dolly," Elena smiled as she followed everyone inside.

"I also made you a CD of me singing some of your favorite kitty songs," James added.

"We'll play it for you when we go inside," Nell smiled.

"Bye bye," Elena sighed, hugging her new friends one by one.

The squirrels nuzzled against her with one giving her his acorn to keep as a gift and for being able to understand them because of her pendant.

"You can play with them again later," Nell promised, taking Elena in her arms.

When they came up to Elena and Gabby's room, they found Gabby still in her time-out corner. "Gabby!" Elena cheered, going over and hugging her.

"Time-out done now?" Gabby asked Nell.

"Yes, time-out's done now," Nell couldn't help but smile as she told Bobby Lee about it. Gabby really didn't have too much trouble doing her timeout. She was allowed to use the potty when she needed it, and she had lunch when it was time to eat.

"That's good to know, and we're glad you learned a lesson, Gab-Gab," Bobby Lee smiled. He handed her the little yellow doll. "James won that for you. And tomorrow, you and Elena get to go to the fair with Mommy and me."

"Can we bring my friends too?" Elena asked with a smile.

"No. Squirrels stay home!" Gabby giggled, hugging her close.

"There are plenty of squirrels around at the fair," Bobby Lee smiled. "And you should have seen them. They were so friendly that they came right up to us and let us feed them."

"That's right," Sabrina smiled. "Madeline and I had bought some peanuts for the squirrels when we first came. We had a few left over when Bobby Lee, James, and Amber came, and we let them feed the squirrels too."

Elena smiled at the thought of making some more squirrel kitties friends, glancing at Sofia who smiled softly.

"What else are we doing?" James asked as Nell led him to the sitting room.

"I know how much you like word games, so Florence, Bianca, and I made some puzzles for you," Nell smiled. "Bianca especially wanted to see you in action."

"Thanks, Nell! But I hope you know what you're getting into," James smiled.

"Oh we do," Bianca smirked, leading him to a chair. "It's you against me."

"After the day he's had, you're on Miss Bianca!" Amber chuckled before seeing Elena with her acorn. "And Elena has some good luck."

"Her squirrel friend Olive gave it too her," Sofia smirked, musing her hair. "She named all the squirrels."

"And you can tell us all their names later," Nell smiled. "Right now, do you want to see James play with Bianca?"

"Yeah! Kitty dolly watches too!" Elena cheered, holding up the kitty dolly.

Everyone saw James grinning as he solved the different puzzles. Even Bianca was amazed. She knew James was good at word games, and it was nice that he enjoyed them as much as she did.

"James look tired Mommy," Elena whispered, nuzzling the kitty dolly close to him.

"Putting the kitty dolly against him isn't helping him Love Bug," Nell whispered back with a smirk.

"I can handle it," James assured her, "I can solve puzzles in my sleep."

"Maybe so, Prince James, but why don't we stop for now and let you get some sleep?" Bianca smiled, putting her paper down. "We can continue where we left off in the morning while Helen Genevieve and Robert Lee take Elena Lydia and Gabby Anna to the fair."

"Okay," James agreed.

"Can I tell James the names of my squirrel kitties? Please?" Elena begged, jumping up and down.

"Of course Love Bug," Nell smiled. "Daddy, Gabby, Amber, and your aunties can hear them too."

"I met Olive, Mitzi, Chrissy, What-not, and Brandy!" Elena giggled.

"I know Whatnaught," Sabrina smiled. "He's really nice, and he's one of Sofia's friends."

Bobby Lee grinned as he sang, "The sailors say Brandy, you're a fine squirrel...what a good friend you would be! But my life, my love and my lady is the sea!"

Elena giggled, flapping her hands as Nell picked her up and covered her in kisses.

"Come on let's get you to bed," Sofia smiled, taking a tired James by the hand.

"But I'm not tired Sof!" James pouted.

"Okay, James, now say that again without yawning," Bobby Lee smirked, mussing his hair.

"You can continue your game against Bianca tomorrow," Nell agreed, starting to lead him out, "And besides, you'll be able to concentrate without Elena or Gabby distracting you."


	26. Baby Amber

Chapter Twenty six: Baby Amber

Siblings: Sofia and Amber.

Setting: A day after Two Princesses and a Baby.

Sofia knew that what she was about to ask was wrong as she and Amber stepped into Cedric's workshop.

But the thought of her sister wishing to have their brother younger despite Amber not wanting it to happen but only by a few months so she wouldn't have to share her birthday for once had plagued Sofia's mind during the night.

And though James as a baby was cute, it had been exhausting trying to hide him from Roland and Miranda.

"Sofia won't you tell me why we're here?" Amber demanded, hands on her hips. "James doesn't remember what happened."

"I know, and I'm glad he doesn't remember that either, but I just want to have Mr. Cedric show you something," Sofia replied.

"What is it?" Amber asked.

"A spell," Cedric replied, holding up his spellbook. "This is the same spell you had me cast on your brother. Sofia and I have decided to use it again...on you."

"It's a 'Teach You a Lesson' spell of sorts," Sofia added, going over to the door and standing in front of it. "It's only going to last for an hour, and hopefully by the time it's done, you'll have learned a lesson about using magic for selfish reasons!"

"When did you two thought of this?" Amber scoffed.

"Early this morning. Just before breakfast," Sofia yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"What you did cost your sister some sleep last night," Cedric mumbled, sympathetic with Sofia's tired state.

"Really? I didn't know that would happen," Amber frowned.

"There were a lot of things you didn't know," Sofia cut her off. "Like, what if Mr. Cedric couldn't lift the spell? What if he never found the book? What do you think Mom and Dad would have said or done if they learned about that?"

Amber looked down at her feet. Sofia was absolutely right. However, she herself had admitted that she'd be in big trouble with Roland and Miranda if they learned about what she had asked Cedric to do.

"As we said, Princess Amber, this is not a punishment," Cedric tried to comfort her. "We only want you to know how it feels. And this time, there are no dandelions or dust to make me sneeze and bungle the spell!"

"Which is a good thing!" Sofia giggled a little. "But I'm not happy with you Amber."

"She's moody from lack of sleep," Cedric whispered, seeing Amber's surprised look. "It's switched from anger towards you to her normal self a few times today."

"But, will Mom and Dad know about this?" Amber asked.

"Dad won't, since he's in meetings all day," Sofia assured her, "Mom's going to be working in the garden for a while, so she won't know about this either."

"And Baileywick?" Amber asked.

"No, since I told him earlier that I was giving Sofia a magic lesson and didn't want to be disturbed," Cedric replied. "I don't know about you, Princess Amber, but I certainly don't want anyone else to know about this!"

"We don't want to be in trouble for this," Sofia added, locking the door. "We'll be keeping the room locked until the not-a-punishment is over."

"What about the window and Cedric's potions?" Amber asked, getting a little nervous.

"Sofia helped me put my potions in my cabinet, and we locked it for the time being," Cedric assured her, "We'll put everything back where they belong when the spell wears off."

"Can I help put them back when you're done?" Amber asked.

"It's nice of you to offer, Amber, but Mr. Cedric and I can take care of those," Sofia smiled. "I'll be in front of the window, and I'm going to keep a lookout for anyone who tries to come near the tower."

"Which will be no one. Surprisingly, your brother found something to keep himself occupied for a few hours," Cedric smirked, holding out his wand.

"One of his gifts from yesterday?" Sofia guessed playfully. "Amber was happy enough not to share them."

"But the party was fun. Though I have to train you on Pin the Jewel on the Tiara," Amber smiled, recalling Sofia's failures with the game.

"We'll play that again when the spell's over," Sofia smirked, holding up the picture and the bag of jewels. "Of course, we'll play in your room or my room after I help Mr. Cedric straighten up."

"Good idea," Amber agreed.

"Stand back Sofia. Princess Amber come here," Cedric mused, holding his spell book in one hand and his wand in the other.

"You won't remember a thing," Sofia assured Amber with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "Only Mr. Cedric and I will."

Amber closed her eyes in acceptance of her fate and let Cedric cast the spell. When the magical smoke cleared, a two-year-old Amber was standing before them.

"How do you feel, Amber?" Sofia asked.

Amber giggled happily and gave her a hug. "Sofa! Cee-trick!"

"Oh no. She's a tiny version of you!" Cedric groaned playfully. "Always messing up my name!"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Sofia smirked.

"Pretty!" Amber gasped, seeing Sofia's amulet.

"Nice try, Amber, you had it once, and that was enough," Sofia smirked, giving Amber a plush pink cat she'd smuggled up to Cedric's workshop instead. "How would you like this instead?"

"Kitty!" Amber smiled, giving it a hug.

"Oh yes, I was there when King Roland's sister gave Amber Duchess Kitty," Cedric smiled. "She was the same age she is now. She loved carrying that kitty around."

"Where is it now?" Sofia grinned, never imagining her sister attached to anything other than her tiaras.

"Who knows? Probably in her closet somewhere," Cedric smiled, seeing Amber hug the plush. "Though Duchess Kitty didn't survive hugs very well. I would always have to magically fix her when its head would rip."

Sofia smiled as she watched Amber dance with the plush cat and held up a book. "Amber, would you and Duchess Kitty like a story?" she suggested, recalling that Miranda would read stories to her and her dolls.

"Good idea, Sofia," Cedric agreed. "And if I may show you something?" He waved his wand, and sparkling lights appeared. "Amber and James both loved this when they were that age." He couldn't help but smile nostalgically as he watched Amber try to catch the pretty lights.

"Pretty!" Amber smiled as she snuggled up with Sofia.

"And Sofia reads to you until you fall asleep," Cedric hoped, knowing that James wasn't easy to look after.

"No sleep," Amber frowned, tugging Sofia's hair. "Story!"

"Ow! James never did this!" Sofia groaned, feeling a bit of pain.

"Sowwy Sofia," Amber looked sad.

"It's okay, Amber, now would you like a story?" Sofia smiled, holding up a book of fairy tales she'd smuggled up with her, along with Duchess Kitty.

Amber smiled, and Sofia read one of her favorite fairy tales to her.

Even Cedric smiled as he listened to Sofia reading. That had been one of his favorite collections of fairy tales when he was that age. He kept a copy of the book on his shelf in case Callista came to visit. And fortunately for him, James assumed that the book was for Callista when he helped clean and organize his books.

He remembered Amber wanting to have the book when she was about four, making a fuss when Cedric had told her that she couldn't.

Luckily Queen Melinda had found Amber a newer copy which she still had to this day next to her books on stars and princess manners.

Even Sofia was enjoying some of the stories she was reading. She remembered a lot of these from her own childhood in the village, but some of the stories were new to her. "Mister Cedric, do you think you could make me a copy of this book for my own collection?" she asked, looking up from an interesting story she'd never heard of.

"Of course, Sofia," Cedric smiled. "We'll consider that a reward for all the help you've given me with keeping Princess Amber busy."

"Just out of curiosity, Mr. Cedric, how much time do we have on the spell?" Sofia lowered her voice, seeing that Amber was falling asleep.

"Twenty minutes," Cedric consulted the hourglass he'd tipped over when he first cast the spell. "Time certainly flies when you're having fun."

"It sure does," Sofia smiled, seeing Amber place her thumb in her mouth.

"Don't forgot about Duchess Kitty," Cedric smirked. "She would have a fit if the cat wasn't with her!"

"At least James won't wake her up!" Sofia giggled softly, trying to surpass a yawn.

"You two go to sleep. I'll keep an eye on the hourglass, and I'll wake you up before the spell wears off," Cedric said as he helped Sofia lie down.

"Okay," Sofia smiled as Amber snuggled up next to her.

"Night-night, Sofia. Love you..." Amber cooed as she drifted off.

"Love you," Sofia sniffed as a tear ran down her cheek.

It was going to be upsetting once the spell would wear off but Sofia couldn't help herself.

This Amber was so loving and adorable.

Even Cedric smiled as he watched Sofia nod off. He took a piece of paper out and magically took a picture of her and Amber with Duchess Kitty between them. "I'll give that to Amber later," he smiled as he took up the book of fairy tales Sofia had dropped on the floor.

He read a few of the stories to himself, smiling to himself as he remembered his mother reading these same tales to him and Cordelia when they were little. He also knew that he had found another copy of the book following the incident, and he had given it to her as a way to apologize. Then after Cordelia's hair had been restored, she showed it to him, telling him that she had still held onto it and read the stories to Callista.

He checked the hourglass, seeing that there were five minutes left, and so he shook the girls awake.

"Nap-nap over?" Amber yawned.

"Nap-nap over," Cedric smiled, getting a hug in return. "We just have to wake up your sister."

"No!" Amber wailed, crossing her arms. "Sofia nap-nap!"

"It's all right, Amber, I can nap-nap later," Sofia smiled as she gave her a hug. "But at least I'll be able to sleep better tonight."

"That's good," Cedric smiled. "We don't want you falling asleep during a lesson."

"Kitty nap-nap?" Amber asked, stroking Duchess Kitty's fur.

"Yes, we'll let Duchess Kitty nap-nap, but first, I'll cast the spell I should have cast a long time ago," Cedric said as he aimed his wand at the toy. He nodded as sparkles surrounded Duchess Kitty. "There we go. She'll never get ripped again."

"Love you, Cee-trick!" Amber smiled, giving him a hug.

Fortunately for Cedric, Amber let go just as the last few grains of sand went to the bottom of the hourglass and she was surrounded by a sparkling light.

"What's Duchess Kitty doing here?" Amber asked in surprise before hearing a sniff from her sister. "Sofia are you okay?"

"Little you was so adorable and loving!" Sofia cried, a few tears escaping from her eyes.

"Tell me something I don't know," Amber smiled as she gave her a hug. "But I have this sudden urge to watch Cedric shoot sparkles out of his wand. I don't know why, but I always loved that!"

"Everyone always enjoys this, and I always got that spell right," Cedric smiled, making a few more sparkles appear. "Even your mother loved watching it."

Amber smiled as she remembered Queen Melinda holding her and James on her lap as Cedric made his sparkles appear. She'd join the two in giggling as they tried to catch the pretty lights. Roland would watch and pretend not to be interested, but they all knew that his smile gave him away.

Amber almost found herself tearing up at the memory but she knew that Sofia needed comforting.

Even though she couldn't remember why her sister was in tears.

"I found Duchess Kitty in your room this morning. But I thought it was just a toy you kept hidden," Sofia sniffed, rubbing her nose.

"No, just like James has Little Rex and Sir Blaze-a-Lot, I have Duchess Kitty and her sister, Princess Sparkle Bear," Amber smiled as she hugged her. "They always helped us when we had nightmares or needed comforting. And believe me, when Mother died and James lost his voice and vowed never to sing again, I needed my two best plush friends." She passed Duchess Kitty into Sofia's arms. "Duchess Kitty always seemed to know when someone was sad or scared."

"Thanks, Amber," Sofia smiled as she hugged the plush cat.

"Duchess Kitty knows that I'm welcome," Amber smirked, gently stroking her sister's hair. "I learned my lesson."

"And do you promise to never do like you did yesterday again?" Cedric asked, handing her the picture he had magically taken.

"I promise, Cedric, I'll never do anything like that again," Amber nodded.

"Good," Cedric smiled. "Then everything that happened up here stays up here. I'm not going to say a word about this little adventure to anyone, and I know Sofia won't."

"I won't either," Amber agreed. "I don't think anyone would believe me anyway."

"You don't remember it and Sofia's too emotional to even speak of it," Cedric smiled, seeing his apprentice attached to Duchess Kitty.

"She probably never expected little me to be so nice," Amber smiled sympathetically, nudging Sofia's arm. "Sofia come on."

"Thank you, Amber," Sofia sniffled. She smiled as Cedric made a copy of Duchess Kitty for her, but he made the fur purple so they could tell the difference between the two. "Thank you, Mister Cedric! She's adorable!"

"Now you can both have kitties to comfort you when you need them," Cedric smiled. "And Sofia, here's the copy of that book I told you about." He waved his wand, making a copy of the book she had read Amber.

"Come on. I promised to help teach you Pin the Jewel on the Tiara," Amber smiled, taking Sofia's free hand.

"We'll not bother you for the rest of the day Mr. Cedric," Sofia added, trying not to yawn.

"You could never bother me, Sofia," Cedric smirked as he unlocked his cabinet and started putting everything back. "Hopefully you'll get a better night's sleep tonight."

"That sounds good," Sofia smiled as she and Amber left.


	27. Girls day out

Chapter twenty seven: Girls day out

Siblings: Nell, Madeline, and Sabrina.

Setting: A day after chapter eleven of healing and love.

"Hi Babies!" Madeline giggled, glancing down at Nell's stomach. "Mommy says you're girls so you're Gabby and um Elsa."

"Elsa Maddie?" Nell mumbled sleepily. "Elsa O'Malley sounds a little strange."

"But Elsa's a good name!" Madeline pouted, pulling off Nell's bed covers. "Wake up! You promised an us day!"

"You mean girls day Madeline," Sabrina smiled. "Nell you did say that we could have a girls day last night."

"I did?" Nell yawned, teasing a little. "Girls I don't remember that."

"You talked to us about that before you and Bobby Lee went out," Sabrina reminded her.

Nell smiled. She knew Madeline and Sabrina had been sleeping when she and Bobby Lee came back from their date. She also knew that Madeline had been excited to hear about what had gone on, so she didn't run off during bath time. She promised to tell them about the dance they went to, and added she'd have a strawberry cheesecake made for dinner that night, just like the one she and Bobby Lee had for their dinner. "You're right, Sabrina," she said at last, "So, for our girls' day, what would you like to do? And how would you like to invite Sofia and Amber along?"

"Yes!" Sabrina and Madeline cheered. If there was anything they liked as much as hanging out with Nell, it was hanging out with Sofia and Amber.

Once they got Roland and Miranda's permission to take them out with them, the girls went on their way.

"Be good Elsa and Gabby," Madeline smiled, touching Nell's stomach. "You no make Nell sick."

"They'll try not to Maddie," Nell smirked, covering her in kisses.

"Elsa?" Amber asked in surprise. "As in the Elsa from their storybook?"

"Only until I can think of a name for Gabby's sister," Nell smirked. "I've told Madeline and Sabrina that I didn't want them naming the girls after the princesses in their storybooks!"

"I don't know, Nell, Aurora O'Malley does have a nice ring to it," Amber grinned.

"You're as good with words as James is, but you're as bad as the girls!" Nell couldn't help but laugh.

"We're not bad!" Sabrina giggled, jumping up and down. "You don't like our names for our nieces cause you're the mommy."

"Sabrina that's not true," Sofia smiled, taking her hand. "Nell's just waiting for a very special name."

"How are names special?" Madeline frowned, hiding behind Nell.

"My birth mother told me she named me Amber because it was the color of her eyes, and my eyes," Amber smiled. "I don't remember where she got the name Julie from, but she also gave me the middle name of Melody since she loved music."

"And James?" Nell asked.

"I think that was the name of one of Daddy's ancestors," Amber shrugged. "I don't remember; you'll have to ask him. But he said when he was younger, he had a good friend named Andrew. And of course, Mother gave James a musical name too."

"Harmon, like James' spy character! But how is the name Harmon musical?" Sabrina asked.

"It's the male equivalent of Harmony," Amber smiled.

"That's a pretty name," Sabrina smiled, tugging on Nell's dress.

"Yes Sabrina?" Nell asked, musing her hair.

"Maybe we could all write down our favorite girl names, and have you draw the winner's name," Sabrina suggested. "Maddie's and my teacher did that when we had to decide on a class color scheme."

"That's a good idea, Sabrina," Nell smiled. "When we get home, we'll all write our favorite names down, and have Bobby Lee pick the name."

"Why does he get to pick?" Madeline pouted.

"Because he's going to be the daddy Madeline," Sofia reminded, giving her a hug.

"And whatever name he picks, that'll be Gabby's twin," Amber smiled.

"Okay. But can Madeline and me pick first on our girls day out?" Sabrina pleaded, hiding behind Sofia. "Especially before the boys from school see us."

"If any boys from school see you, you stay close to us," Sofia murmured. "We'll stay right by your side."

"Sofia's right," Amber agreed. "There's safety in numbers."

"But I thought we'd talked to them about what happened," Nell agreed. "One little boy in particular seemed to change his mind right away when we told him that you were only trying to protect me, and he said he'd do the same thing for his little sister."

"I think you're going to have to make that same speech every year," Sabrina whispered.

"What makes you say that?" Nell whispered.

"Hey look! The princesses are out of their fancy life!" A boy teased as Sabrina and Madeline hid behind Nell.

"And they're hiding behind their sister!" Another boy teased, glancing up at Nell.

"Princesses?! Just because we live at the castle doesn't mean that we're waited on hand and foot!" Nell growled as Sofia and Amber held her back.

"Nell, they're not worth it," Sofia murmured. "And you know stress isn't good for the babies!"

"Is there some sort of problem here?" came a very welcome voice behind them. The girls looked up, and Nell recognized their rescuer as one of the men from the dance she and Bobby Lee had attended. He and his wife had talked with her and Bobby Lee before they left.

"Come on, you two; let's go find your parents and tell them about this!" his wife said as she marched the boys away.

"Are you young ladies all right?" the man asked.

"We're fine," Nell immediately went on guard; she remembered how it was when she first met Jimmy: he'd been nice to her, then he tried to kiss her. "Thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome. And my wife was going to give you this but those boys were causing trouble," the man smiled, handing Nell a gift. "She was worried about you especially last night. We can't imagine being young and having to prepare for parenthood before you're ready."

"It hasn't been easy," Nell admitted as she opened the gift. "Baby booties?"

"Sofia look! They're our colors!" Amber squealed happily as Sabrina and Madeline giggled.

"So they are, Amber. Thank you so much!" Nell smiled as she picked up a pair of purple booties, and a pair of yellow booties.

"And if you ever need a babysitter, or even time to yourself, please let me know," the woman smiled. "I can even share some of my own tips on babies, that is, if you'd like to hear them."

"I'd really appreciate that, ma'am!" Nell smiled.

"But what about the boys?" Sabrina frowned.

"Don't worry sweetie I gave them a talking to," the woman assured her, giving her a hug.

"What's your name? How do you know Nell?" Madeline wondered, getting impatient with getting started on their girls day.

"My name's Lorelei Hawkins," the woman smiled. "I knew your mother when we were little girls, but we moved away a long time ago. My husband Nathaniel and I came back two years ago when he got a new job here in Dunwiddie."

"Well, I'll have to tell Mama we ran into you," Nell smiled.

"It'll be nice to see Lydia again," Lorelei smiled. "Perhaps we could get together sometime and talk."

"I'd like that," Nell smiled.

"Have fun on your day out," Lorelei smiled, musing Sabrina and Madeline's hair.

"Thank you!" Sabrina giggled.

"Nell come on! Let's go!" Madeline urged, tugging on her sister's dress.

"Okay, I hear you," Nell grinned. "So, girls, what would you like to do first?"

"You said you went to a dance last night," Sofia recalled what Nell had told her and Amber that morning, "I know there aren't any dances tonight, but maybe we could start getting some decorations for the babies' nursery."

"Good idea," Nell smiled. "Mama always said it's a good idea to get an early start on special events. That way, when the event comes closer, we're not rushing around trying to get everything ready."

"And you just leave decorating the nursery to me," Amber grinned. "I've got so many plans I don't know where to begin!"

"Maybe we could let Nell see what you have, and she can pick her favorite decorations," Sofia suggested.

"And we can dance as we decorate!" Sabrina giggled.

"Ah, the wonders of multi-tasking!" Nell grinned.

"But we pick stuff first. We're their aunties," Madeline scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Easy Maddie. Of course you and Baby girl get to pick first," Nell assured. "Whatever it is, I'll like it."

"Wouldn't a crib be first? Or stuffed animals?" Sofia suggested with a smile.

"A crib's a good idea," Nell smiled, "The babies will need a place to sleep at night."

"We can still look at stuffed animals, can't we?" Sabrina asked.

"Of course," Nell grinned. "All of us can pick out a stuffed animal they'll like. We just can't put them in the crib with them at night."

"Why not?" Madeline asked. "Won't they need something to help keep them safe from monsters and the dark?"

"That's a good argument, Maddie," Nell smiled, "But according to Mama and Bianca, babies can't have toys in the crib at night since they might suffocate on them. Even if it's a little toy," she added, seeing Madeline start to protest, "But don't worry; it's just for a few months that they can't have toys or a blanket in the crib with them."

Madeline frowned at the thought of her nieces getting hurt before she spotted a toy store.

"Easy! No running!" Amber yelled after her, seeing her excitement.

"I think I saw a baby store next to it," Sofia smiled, trying to hide her own excitement. "But we better follow Madeline."

"Right. She tends to get distracted when she sees stuffed animals," Nell smirked.

They followed Madeline into the toy store, and joined her in looking at the stuffed animals. "Elsa and Gabby will love these!" Madeline giggled, holding up two teddy bears.

"Again with the Elsa! We've really got to find a better name for Gabby's sister!" Nell grinned, putting the teddy bears in a cart, then going over to look at mobiles for the crib.

"If it was Madeline's way, it'd be Elsa everything!" Sofia giggled.

"But it can't," Nell smirked, seeing Sabrina with a mobile in her hands. "Baby girl what do you have there?"

"How about a kitty mobile?" Sabrina smiled. "If there's going to be two cribs in the nursery, the babies will both need a mobile of their own!"

"That's a good idea," Nell grinned. "We don't want the babies fighting over one mobile!"

"And the mobiles will have to play the same song," Sofia suggested, "If there were two mobiles with different songs, the babies couldn't sing along with the music!"

"Babies sing?" Madeline asked in confusion.

"You two did. You would babble happily whenever I would put on the old mobile Mama had," Nell smiled, musing her hair. "And when you got to talk it would be 'La! La! La!' while you would bounce in your cribs."

"So music made everything better before you met James?" Amber smirked, spying something pink.

"I guess so!" Nell grinned, "I've heard that James loves music too. We'll have to have him sing something for us when we get home."

"He'll sing for you," Amber's smile faded, "But it'll be in his room with his door partly open." She explained how James had lost his voice at their birth mother's funeral, and how he refused to sing in public.

"We can always tape him singing," Nell shrugged, but then she smiled. "And he can sing outside his room whenever he's ready."

"That's what we tell him," Amber smiled as she handed Nell the pink dresses and bed sheets she'd found.

"Isn't that a little too much pink?" Sofia wondered in surprise.

"They're girls aren't they?" Amber smiled, spotting another mobile.

"Yes but what if Gabby or Elsa don't like pink?" Madeline asked, spotting a green dress.

"Good idea," Sofia smiled. "We'll get the pink sheets and bedding, of course, but maybe we should get a few other colors too."

"That is a good idea," Nell nodded. "There might be times when the babies have an accident during the night, and we'll have to put fresh bedding in the crib."

"We have to be prepared, right?" Sabrina asked.

"That's right!" Nell smiled.

"I found green!" Madeline giggled, dragging some green sheets behind her.

"Purple's good too," Sofia smiled, picking up some purple bedding and sheets.

"What about blue?" Sabrina asked.

"That's more of a boy color sweetheart," Nell smiled, kissing her cheek before putting a hand to her mouth.

"Are you okay, Nell?" Sofia asked.

"Maybe just a little sick to my stomach," Nell admitted. "I'm sorry, Bri and Maddie; I know I promised you a girls day out, but I think we should go home."

"It's okay," Sabrina started. "We got to spend time with you like we wanted, and we helped get some things for Elsa and Gabby!"

"Yeah!" Madeline agreed. "We can always have another us day later when you're feeling better."

"Thank you both for being so understanding," Nell smiled. "Now, what do you say we pay for these and go home?"

"And we put names in a hat?!" Madeline giggled, jumping up and down.

"Yes Madeline. But Elsa is not going to win," Amber smirked playfully.

"Yes she is!" Madeline pouted. "It's a nice name! Aurora is too big of a name!"

"Okay you two. No fighting," Sofia smiled as Nell spotted a mobile hanging above her.

Nell smiled as she wound it up. "How about this one? I kind of like the melody, and I remember Sofia singing it too," She started singing softly with the music, "This is my time...to honor my family and friends..."

"That's the song we sang when Princess Elena led the charge against Shuriki!" Sofia gasped.

"It's official then," Nell grinned, "We're getting this mobile, and we're telling the babies the story of how Elena defeated Shuriki!"

Sabrina saw Madeline's disappointment before giving her a hug.

She knew how set her sister was with the name Elsa for the first baby but they had to remember that it was Nell's baby.

"So Nell gets to pick?" Madeline asked as they helped Sofia and Amber carry the things they had gotten to the wagon.

"I'll tell you what, Maddie," Nell grinned, "We'll stop at that toy store again, and each of you can pick out a toy for yourself as a souvenir of our day out. The doll or stuffed animal you pick can be named Elsa."

Madeline smiled at the idea. "Okay!"

"We get you a toy too Nell!" Sabrina giggled, hugging her sister's stomach.

"Okay you can get me one," Nell smirked, musing her hair. "But nothing too expensive."

Madeline and Sabrina smiled as they picked out a doll for Nell that was dressed like an angel. Nell smiled. "Is this your way of telling me you're going to be perfect little angels from now on?"

"Maybe it's a guardian angel for all of you," Sofia suggested. "She can also watch over the babies and make sure nothing happens to you."

"I'll accept either of those descriptions!" Nell grinned. "Thank you, girls!"

She covered her sisters in kisses as they giggled happily.

"I think I found an Elsa for Madeline," Amber smiled as Madeline stopped giggling.

"You did?!" Madeline squealed, jumping up and down. "Can it still be in the baby name hat?"

"Sure," Nell grinned. "But don't be too upset if Elsa's not the name that's picked."

"Okay," Madeline smiled. "I'll call my new teddy bear Elsa. That way, there can still be an Elsa in the family!"

"That's a good idea," Sofia smiled as they made their way back to the castle.

"You're back early," Lydia grinned as Sabrina and Madeline helped Nell out of the wagon. "Everything go okay?"

"It did Miss Lydia," Sofia smiled. "We got some things for the babies."

"They haven't even started kicking yet," Edward smirked, kissing Nell's cheek. "Robert's been wondering when you've come back."

"We started getting things ready for the nursery," Nell grinned. "It helped having Sofia and Amber come. They gave us all sorts of ideas for decorating. But we did run into some trouble with some boys. But it's all right," she added, seeing Edward's frown. "We ran into one of Mama's old friends, and she and her husband helped us with them."

"Really?" Lydia smiled, "Who was it?"

"Lorelei Hawkins," Nell smiled. "She and her husband Nathaniel helped us with the boys, and they gave us some baby booties!"

"You saw Lorelei?" Lydia smiled. "Well! We'll have to get together sometime! I haven't seen her since we were as old as Bri and Maddie!"

"She and Nathaniel moved back here a few years ago," Nell explained.

"Baby name hat! Baby name hat!" Madeline giggled, jumping up and down.

"This is not a hat," Bobby Lee smirked playfully, coming into the room.

"What did you find?" Nell asked.

"James helped me find a box to put the names in," Bobby Lee smiled. "He put a suggestion in the box, and no, I'm not going to tell you what it is." he added, seeing Madeline's look of interest. "But he also gave me a few sheets of paper, so we can write down our ideas, and he told me that Nell picks the winning name."

"You mean James took a break from writing?" Nell grinned. "How long did it take you to convince him?"

"He was already taking a break," Bobby Lee smirked. "He was working on one of his word puzzle books, but there was still a small stack of papers he had to look at. And yes, I know how to get him to stop if he starts working his fingers to the bone!"

"You tickled him?" Sofia smirked.

"And we missed it!" Amber pouted playfully.

"Baby names now! Please?" Madeline pleaded, hearing Edward and Lydia giggle.

"Sure Butterfly," Nell smiled, musing her hair.

Amber, Madeline, Sabrina, Nell, and Sofia each wrote down their nominations for baby names and added them to the box.

At the same time, Roland, Miranda, James, Bianca, and Florence came in to hear the result.

"Please don't be Elsa!" Nell pleaded silently to herself as Bobby Lee shook the box around.

"What name did you think of Sabrina?" Madeline wondered, hoping that it was Anna.

Bobby Lee shook the box when everyone sat down. "Okay. This is how we're going to do this," he started. "I'm going to have Helen pick three names, and the final one she picks is the winner."

"I remember voting that way in school," Nell agreed. "One time, one of my choices was the winner!"

"And who knows; maybe it'll be the winner now," Bobby Lee said as he drew the first slip of paper.

"Anna," Nell read aloud, holding back a smirk. "Baby girl did you write down this name because Butterfly wanted Elsa?"

"Maybe," Sabrina muttered softly. "Are you mad?"

"No I'm not mad," Nell assured, letting her touch her stomach. "And if Gabby could kick, she wouldn't be mad either."

"Maybe we can still use the name Anna," Lydia suggested, "It can be one of the girls' middle names."

"That's a very good idea," Bianca smiled.

"Okay, the second name is..." Bobby Lee picked out the second piece of paper.

"Lydia," Nell read aloud, blushing in embarrassment. "I picked that one."

"Are you mad Mommy?" Madeline wondered.

"Are you?" Sabrina asked, hoping that she wasn't.

"Why would I be mad?" Lydia smiled, pulling them into a hug. "I'm honored that you wanted to name the baby after me!"

"Thanks, Mama," Nell smiled, "And like Bianca said, Lydia can be used as the middle name."

"Gabby Anna and Something Lydia," Bobby Lee grinned, "I'm liking these names more and more!"

"Or is it Something Anna and Gabby Lydia?" James smirked.

"Oh, you two!" Florence chuckled, "But you're right, Robert; Gabby Anna does have a nice ring to it."

"And the winner is, drumroll please..." Bobby Lee paused as everyone beat out a drumroll.

"It's either Aurora or what Sofia wrote," Sabrina smiled, trying to take a look.

"Oh no. No peeking for you," Edward smirked.

"You'll spoil the surprise," Sofia added with a smile. "You don't wanna spoil it do you?"

"No. Something is Nell's baby," Sabrina smiled, seeing her sister with the piece of paper. "Nell what is it?"

"Elena!" Nell smiled.

"I like that," Bobby Lee smiled.

"That's a pretty name!" Sabrina smiled.

"It's a beautiful name," Miranda smiled, musing Sofia's hair.

"Babies like it too!" Sabrina smiled, clapping her hands.

"Don't be silly Sabrina. They can't be kicking yet," James mused. "If they were, Nell would be feeling it!"

"They do like it!" Nell smiled, grabbing James' hand and putting it on her stomach. "I just felt one of them kick when we picked Anna as a middle name, and just now!"

"They must know their names already," Amber grinned.

"Okay, so who wants to be Elena? Any volunteers for Gabby?" James joked as he felt both babies kick.

"There's lots of time to decide on that, James," Nell grinned.

"I don't think Bri or Maddie want to wait," Lydia smirked.

"Elena?" Sabrina hoped, placing her hand on Nell's stomach. "Please?"

"Please?" Madeline echoed.

"Okay...girls, come here," Nell grinned. She put their hands on her stomach and said, "Okay. Now, let's ask them, and whoever kicks first, that's who gets first picks of a name."

"Okay!" Sabrina giggled. She asked, "Who wants to be Elena?"

"Who wants to be Gabby?" Madeline asked.

"That test might work, but I think you'll know who will have which names when you see them," Lydia smirked.


	28. First day research

Chapter Twenty eight: First day research

Siblings: Amber, James, and Sofia.

Setting: After chapter thirty of family love.

Singing while helping research Sofia's blindness was what James thought to be a creative punishment after everything that happened the night before as he spotted her feeling the book he had given her.

Sofia couldn't read it because of what happened but feeling the cover had put her mind at ease. She knew that Amber and James had been researching for most of the morning, tagging along because being in a sightless world alone scared her.

Yet she couldn't help but feel guilty as she felt a few tears go down her cheeks. If she hadn't gone up to Cedric's workshop, if she only had just run away from the potion...

"Sof?" James asked softly, hearing her sniffing.

"If only I'd run away from the potion..." Sofia whimpered again.

"Sofia, none of this was your fault," Amber murmured, pulling her into a hug. "Like Cedric and Daddy told us, everything happened too fast for us to know what was going on."

"But what can I do now that I can't see anymore?" Sofia asked. "I can't ride Minimus, I can't ice dance, I won't be able to do anything!"

"Minimus can be your eyes when you ride him," James offered, "And you've got a partner for ice dancing, so they'll be able to tell you where to turn and do all those tricks."

"True," Sofia sniffed. "But it won't be the same."

"We know," Amber agreed, squeezing her hand. "But James and I found somethings to help you."

"You have?" Sofia smiled a little.

"We found some books in the library we can use to help us learn about blindness," James started. "I looked through one, and it's got both Braille and regular words in it, so we can still read it."

"That sounds interesting," Sofia admitted, running her hands over the raised pictures.  
"But I can't read or write. You two know I tired to write this morning and it looked—"

"Sloppy?" James sympathized, musing her hair.

Sofia nodded, feeling an embarrassed look form on her face.

"You did fine, Sof," James smiled. "That was a really good first attempt."

"Easy for you to say," Sofia pouted, "Everyone says you've been reading and writing since the day you were born!"

Amber smiled as she hugged her. "Maybe so, but even great writers need to practice their skills."

"The only way you'll get better is with practice," James quoted Miranda.

"Yes, Mom," Sofia giggled.

"Don't you think we have done enough researching blindness today?" Amber smiled, taking Sofia's hand.

"Why you do ask?" James smirked, taking Sofia's other hand.

"Because you've been doing all the work and I've just been sitting around and using my other senses," Sofia frowned, looking down at her feet.

"Don't worry, Sof," James smiled. "You're not doing 'nothing'; Mom, Dad, and Cedric have started telling you to start practicing using your other senses to help you get around."

"That's right," Amber smiled. "You're getting the hang of sensing our footsteps, and you know our voices."

Sofia nodded softly at her words. She was trying to get used to being sightless but it wasn't working.

She felt like she was embarrassing the family, remembering how she spilled her food and milk on herself during breakfast.

If another royal had visited them, her cheeks would've been more red than ever.

"I think we can use this idea to help you too," James suggested, looking up from a book, "It says here that people can set up the food on a blind person's plate like a clock to help them find their food on it."

"But I can't see clocks anymore," Sofia frowned.

"Maybe not, but you know what clocks look like, don't you?" James asked. When Sofia nodded, he continued, "Amber and I can borrow Baileywick's pocket watch when we practice setting plates up, or look at the clock to see if we're doing it right."

"That's a good idea, James," Amber smiled. "Let's get some food and a plate and try that."

Even Sofia had to smile, hearing her stomach growl.

As Amber got a plate and James got some food, she placed her arms on the table before resting her head on them.

Closing her eyes for a moment Sofia tried not to think of the accident, having it still be fresh in her mind.

She felt around the rim of the plate, murmuring each hour to herself, and picking up each item as she found it.

"Great job, Sof!" James grinned, squeezing her hand.

"Well done, Sofia!" Amber smiled. "And since you learned the plate so quickly, I just put a surprise for you at ten o'clock."

Sofia murmured the hours to herself again, and when she got to ten o'clock, she smiled. "A fly cake! Thank you, Amber!"

"And soon you won't have to count the hours; they'll come naturally," Amber continued.

"But I'll still need practice," Sofia smiled, nibbling on the fly cake.

"And that's nothing to be ashamed of," James assured. "We're trying to get used to everything that's happened."

"Even if we don't understand it at first," Amber added, brushing off some crumbs that had fallen on Sofia's dress.

"We're all learning about this, Sof," James added, "Not just you. And Mom and Dad want to learn about this too."

"Really?" Sofia looked up.

"That's right," Amber smiled. "Daddy told us that he had Baileywick order some Braille books for the castle library for you. He wants all of us to learn Braille so we can help you and learn together."

"He's even having Penny and her family come over sometimes so they can teach you what you need to know," James agreed.

"But that'll be humiliating!" Sofia shuddered. "Reina will ask questions."

"And if she does, we'll answer them," Amber muttered, squeezing her hand.

"We'll play with her too," James added with a smile.

"Thank you," Sofia smiled in relief. "I'm trying to get used to being blind but it's not easy. Amber knows from this morning. I was crying in the closet."

"And that's nothing to be ashamed of," Amber smiled. "You know that James and I were crying ourselves after the accident. I heard that Mother and Daddy were too, in their bedroom. But we were only upset about what happened," she added, seeing Sofia frown. "We know that none of this was your fault, and we didn't know how to help you like we do now."

Sofia smiled a little. She knew that the family wanted to help her, and they all wanted to learn about this together.

"And tonight's gonna be the first night since the accident. We understand if you don't want to practice anything," James added with a smirk.

"I'll rather practice then think of what happened!" Sofia giggled a little. "But what if it happens again?"

"We're going to be right by your side, Sofia," Amber promised. "We won't let anything happen to you."

"I'll protect you, Sof," James promised. "I won't let anything come near you."

Sofia smiled at their words. She knew Amber and James wanted to stay with her and help her, and she knew how protective James could be. She hadn't forgotten how he'd come close to attacking Cedric, and she'd never known her brother to be as angry as he'd been. It was only thanks to Amber smacking the sense into him that he'd stopped, and now both of her siblings were helping her.

"Thank you," Sofia sighed in relief. "Maybe you can tell Mom and Dad about what you've found?"

"Sure," James smiled, ruffling her hair.

"But we know there's somethings you're not used to yet. Like using your other senses," Amber reminded her with a smile.

"How can I use my other senses to help me get around now?" Sofia asked.

"Remember when we got separated in the pyramid when we met Princess Cassandra that one time?" Amber suggested. "How did we find each other?"

"We all had our eyes closed, and we smelled Hildegard's perfume," Sofia remembered. "We followed the smell to her and Cassandra."

"That's right," Amber smiled. "We couldn't see in the dark, but we used another sense to find each other."

Sofia smiled at the memory, giggling softly. That had been fun to do.

"But how can we do it here at home?" Sofia wondered, feeling the wall.

"Aren't you using one of your senses now?" James smirked.

Sofia heard the soft tapping her fingers were making on the wall. "I guess I am," she smiled.

"I thought of another way you could help yourself with hearing us," James continued. "Penny told me that the last time she and her parents explored a cave, she used echolocation to help herself get around."

"Like how bats use sound to help themselves get around in the dark?" Amber suggested.

"That's right," James nodded. "The sound bounces off the rocks, and the bats follow the sound. It's just a thought, but maybe we could try that to help Sof too."

"But not inside the castle," Roland said sternly, taking the siblings off guard.

"You three have been busy all morning so we thought you could use a break," Miranda smiled.

"We were just talking about ideas we could use to help Sofia," Amber explained. "James also told her about how her plates should be set up for meals."

"The clock face? I read about that myself," Roland smiled. "I saw you teaching Sofia about that, and I think that's a wonderful idea."

"We'll start doing that here for your meals now, and we'll talk to the headmistresses at Royal Prep to see if they can do that for you at school," Miranda agreed.

"It's all apart of practicing right?" Sofia smiled.

"Right," Miranda smiled back. "We'll do whatever it takes to help you."

"And don't worry, Dad; we won't use echolocation if you don't want us to," James added. "It was just a thought, but Penny told me that though it works for her, when she clicks her tongue in a quiet area so she can hear the sound, it doesn't work for everyone."

"It's all right, James," Roland smiled. "We know you're trying to help, and we also know that some ideas to help Sofia will work better than others."

The siblings smiled at his words. There would be things Sofia would be able to work with while others she wouldn't be able to work with and that was okay.

Amber and James gently lead her out of the room, spotting Sofia frowning.

"Sof, what's the matter?" James asked.

"If we said anything wrong, we're sorry," Amber added.

"It's not that. Like James said, tonight is the first night since the accident and I-I'm scared," Sofia replied, holding back tears.

"And it's okay if you are," Amber assured, giving her a hug.

"To tell you the truth, I'm a little scared about it myself," James admitted. "I tried to attack Cedric for what happened, and I've never done anything like that any other time when you, or even Amber got hurt."

"We know why you did it, James, but you're making up for it by helping Sofia," Miranda smiled, pulling him into a hug. "It's perfectly normal to want to help someone, but you can't do everything."

"I know," James sighed.

"But thank you for helping me today," Sofia smiled. "Without you and Amber, I would still be lost."

"We want to help you, Sofia, and it's good practice for us too," Amber smiled. "We've all watched Penny at Royal Prep, even before this happened, so we kind of have an idea on what she does to help herself get around."

"That's right," James added. "Before she goes in a room, I've seen her run her hand over the plaque by the door. She told me the fairies put Braille dots on them, so she can feel them. She told me that the name of the room, and its numbers are on them."

"Maybe we could try something like that here," Amber mused. "It's just a thought."

"Maybe. If it's okay with Mom and Dad," Sofia smirked.

Roland and Miranda didn't mind as to them, getting Sofia even more help with her new world was better than her getting none at all.

Yet as the day went on and night soon followed, the accident lingered her mind.

Sofia tried to run her hand over a plaque that Cedric had conjured for her, but she started crying in Amber's arms again. "I'm sorry, Amber! This whole thing is my fault!"

"Sofia, don't say that," Amber murmured, leading her into her room, since that was the sign she'd been feeling. "You know we all want to help you, and this was a good idea that James had. I've even seen Penny feel the Braille dots as she goes along the walls. It's kind of like how Princess Cassandra felt the hieroglyphics when we were in the cave. Remember how we all got to feel them? I didn't think so at the time, but that was kind of like using Braille, since the signs told her what everything said."

Sofia sniffed, understanding what she meant.

But it was her fault. Everything had to change because of her. They could've gone to school if she hadn't gotten the potion in her eyes.

Her eyes were still red if you looked hard enough, trying to healing slowly.

"Sof, everything's going to be all right," James tried to assure her, "Everyone knows you as the sweet, helpful, wonderful, brilliant person you've always been. So one bad thing happened. That won't change who you are."

"James is right," Miranda smiled. "You're the same sweet person you've always been since we lived in the village. Just because we live here now, that never changed. So you need some help now because of an accident. That's all right! We'll always be there to help you."

"Thank you," Sofia sniffed. "It's just the last thing I remember seeing was the potion and when I woke up—"

"You only saw darkness," Miranda sympathized with a smile.

"Everything's going to be all right, Sofia," Amber murmured, "We'll all get through this together."

"I'll help you in any way I can, Sof; you know that, right?" James added.

"We know you will, James," Roland smiled, pulling him into a hug when he heard the tremble in his voice. He took Sofia's hand, leading her over to James so she could help comfort him. "We'll all help you."

"Don't think about it anymore, James," Amber said as she got on his other side and hugged him. "We all forgave you for what you wanted to do."

"And again thank you for helping me today," Sofia smiled softly.

"Amber and I would do anything to help Sof," James assured, musing her hair.

"I know," Sofia yawned.

"You just rest for now, Sof," James murmured, leading her over to the bed, "Don't worry; Amber and I are going to stay right by your side."

"Don't leave me," Sofia murmured.

"Don't worry, Sofia," Amber murmured, "We're not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Sofia asked sleepily.

"We promise," James assured, helping her into bed.

"Even if I have a nightmare?" Sofia yawned, feeling the covers.

"No matter what," Amber smiled, finding Sofia's rag doll Maryanne, and tucking it in with her. "This might help you too."

Sofia smiled as she felt her doll. "Thanks, Amber."

"I found your plush cat too," James smiled, tucking the purple cat Cedric had made for her on her other side. "You can never have too many friends around you."

Sofia giggled as she felt James nuzzle the cat against her cheek. "Thank you, James!"

Once Sofia had fallen asleep with Maryanne and her plush cat, Amber and James smiled.

She would be okay. Everything around her was something everyone was going to have to get through but they would do it as a family.


	29. Returning the favor

Chapter Twenty nine: Returning the favor

Siblings: Elena and Gabby.

Setting: Before and after chapter ten of do you want to sing together xx1.

"Elena?" Gabby asked, gently shaking her sister. "Wake up!"

Elena groaned, putting her pillow over her ears as Gabby frowned. She should've known it was going to happen.

When kindergarten had been mentioned last night by their aunts and then their mommy, Elena had frowned the entire time before wanting to stay with Ricky at one point.

Gabby didn't want to admit it but she wanted to stay with her baby brother too except Ricky was getting into almost everything since learning how to roll.

"Don't wanna go," Elena muttered, "I'm sick."

"No you're not!" Gabby giggled. "You excited about today?"

"I'm not going!" Elena repeated.

"James will be there, Elena," Gabby promised. "You watch him as he plays the piano."

Elena smiled a little. She knew James was going to play the piano for their fall music program, and she had practiced her solo, but she was scared of performing it in front of everyone.

"I stay with Ricky!" Elena pouted, refusing to get up.

"He chews on things. Including my dolly," Gabby frowned.

"Daddy said Ricky didn't mean to," Elena said, remembering how upset her sister had been the night before.

"Girls, is everything okay?" Nell asked, coming up to check on them.

"I don't wanna go! I'm not gonna sing!" Elena cried.

"Elena, everything's going to be fine," Nell smiled, taking her on her lap. "You and Gabby have been practicing your solos, and you love it when James accompanies you. He even sings the song with you."

"Will he sing with us now?" Elena asked hopefully.

"I don't think so, sweetheart!" Nell chuckled, "He's not in your kindergarten class."

"I'm still mad at Ricky," Gabby grumbled. "Dolly not food!"

"Daddy and I had a long talk with him about that," Nell assured with a smile.

"Ricky got time out?" Elena frowned.

"No, he's still a little young for time-outs," Nell smiled. "But he knows what he did was wrong, and he started chewing on the kitties you and Gabby made for him."

"Okay, but I'm not singing!" Elena frowned.

"Will you put on a disguise and sing the song later?" Gabby asked. "James did that and he's singing again!"

"I don't think she'll have to do that," Nell smiled. She remembered how James had lost his voice and refused to sing in public afterward. When the girls were almost two, James decided to try singing again. He'd disguised himself and sang his song perfectly. However, someone had unmasked him, but he had run off. Nell frowned, recalling that she'd seen James in Elena's room with her, and she was crying because he was upset. But the next day, he sang another song perfectly and unmasked himself at the end. Everyone had loved it, and James had promised never to sing behind a closed door again, unless someone needed quiet, or Roland was busy.

"Need to do what?" Bobby Lee asked, coming into the room.

"Elena don't wanna sing," Gabby frowned.

"Love Bug won't sing?!" Bobby Lee gasped mockingly, striking a dramatic pose that'd put Amber to shame. "Ricky will be so upset without his favorite kitty singer!"

Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Please, Love Bug, won't you sing your song for me?" Bobby Lee pleaded.

"That's right," Nell smiled, "Just pretend you're singing your song for us, Gabby, and Ricky. And of course, for everyone in the castle."

"Snow White too," Gabby smiled.

"Snow White does love it when you sing to her," Nell smiled.

"I sing for Snow White!" Elena smiled.

"Good girl," Nell smiled, musing her hair.

"My dolly fixed?" Gabby asked, tugging Bobby Lee's pants leg.

"Still recovering from baby chewing," Bobby Lee replied, seeing Gabby frown. "Ricky did a number on her."

Gabby frowned, but she knew that her dolly would be okay after having "major surgery". But she had another problem. Elena didn't like change, and she was still having trouble adjusting to a new class, new people, and a new teacher.

"Love Bug, everything's going to be fine," Bobby Lee smiled, taking her in his arms. "You've sung with your friends in preschool, and some of them are going to be right next to you."

Elena nodded slowly. At least her friends Suzie, Sally, and Daniel were in the class with her. She still didn't trust Jack, even though he was making an effort to be nice to her. It helped that he was in a different kindergarten class, but she didn't want him making fun of her.

And she didn't want to embarrass herself on stage in front of all the parents and babies like Ricky.

Ricky had never seen her mess up before, biting her lip as she heard him babbling.

"I'll get him," Nell offered, seeing Gabby frown. "Don't worry Gabby, he knows that your toys are off limits."

Ricky reached out for Gabby, hugging her as she took him in her arms, and cooed as he offered her his kitty.

"Thank you, Ricky," Gabby smiled. She nuzzled the kitty against Ricky, knowing that he loved it when Nell or Bobby Lee did that. "You like kitty kisses, Ricky?"

Ricky giggled and flapped his hands like Elena did. Elena and Gabby knew he wasn't autistic, but he did like copying what they did.

And Nell always told them that he may grow out of it when he was older so they had to enjoy it while they can.

"I'm gonna sing Ricky!" Elena giggled, taking him from Gabby. "But it's not a kitty song."

Ricky looked up at the mention of a kitty song. He squealed excitedly as Elena started singing the song again.

Gabby smiled as she joined her. "You wanna sing with us too, Ricky?"

"That would be wonderful! We'll have to ask Miss Joy if she'll include Ricky in the song!" Nell smiled.

"Ricky sings just like James!" Elena giggled.

"I don't have to take that! I know when I've been insulted!" James called as he passed them on his way down the hall.

Gabby giggled as she brought James into the room. "Elena, Mommy, and Daddy say you sing since you were born, and Ricky sings now too!"

"James play for us and Ricky?" Elena smiled, hugging him. "Please?"

"Well, since you put it that way," James paused, going over to the piano, "Okay!"

Ricky giggled, flapping his hands as Elena had put him down on his tummy.

"If he rolls away, we'll get him," Bobby Lee assured, spotting Kitty.

"We don't need another toy in major surgery," Nell added with a smile. "Especially before her owner has to sing."

"That's right," James grinned as he got the girls' music out. "Everyone loves it when kitties and girls sing!"

"And you like this song too, right?" Nell whispered.

"Well, I remember my mom singing this once when Amber and I were little," James smiled.

"And Queen Melinda would be proud to know that you're playing this song now," Bobby Lee agreed, softly mussing his hair.

James smiled at the green-robed angel on the piano, which had always been Melinda's favorite angel. Since it looked like her, James liked imagining that she was with him when he accompanied someone. "Yes she would," he murmured as he began to play.

Ricky babbled happily as he heard Elena and Gabby singing, putting one of Kitty's paws in his mouth to chew on.

Nell picked him up, bouncing Ricky in her arms and smiled at James.

"They're doing such a great job," Bobby Lee smiled as he heard the girls sing their parts, and James singing the other solo parts.

"And they'll do such a great job when they actually perform this," Nell agreed.

Elena stopped singing, shaking her head. Gabby gently squeezed her hand as she saw tears in her sister's eyes.

"Mommy can we get ready now?" Gabby asked, pointing to the door.

"We know when we're not wanted," Bobby Lee smirked, taking Ricky in his arms. "Come on buddy, we'll meet your sisters at their concert."

"Nell, Elena, Gabby, should I go with you? You can sing for me on the way there," James offered.

"No, James, that's okay," Nell smiled. "You go with Roland, Miranda, Amber, and Sofia and meet us there. Joy said there's no need to come early and warm up."

"I think Miss Joy likes my piano playing as much as Miss Milly did," James smiled as he collected his music.

"You play really good!" Elena smiled.

"Really well Love Bug," Nell corrected, covering her in kisses.

"You gonna be okay?" Gabby asked as Elena started to fidget in her seat in the wagon.

"No. If I mess up, the mommies, daddies, and Ricky babies will laugh at me," Elena sighed.

"No they won't. Elena, remember yesterday's play date with the other class and Jack gave you back Kitty when another boy took her?" Gabby asked.

"I don't remember that," Elena smiled. "What happen?"

"A little boy took Kitty when you were flying her around," Gabby started. "You got upset, but Jack ran after him and took her back. He made sure she okay, and I helped look at her before we giver her to you."

Elena nodded, recalling the incident. She had brought Kitty for sharing time, since she went along with a story James had written about the two of them flying around and having fun with everyone's kitties. A boy around her age took Kitty and ran around the room with her. Before Elena could get too upset about how roughly Kitty was being treated, Jack had rescued her, and after he and Gabby checked her over to make sure she wasn't ripped, dirty, or harmed in any way, they gave Kitty back to her.

"Jack nice," Elena smiled.

"He's been trying really hard to be that way," Nell said, hearing their conversation

"Miss Joy told you the story?" Gabby frowned.

"Yes she did," Nell smiled. "And Love Bug, you'll be just fine."

"Elena! Gabby!" they heard Jack greet them when they entered the building. "It's good to see you. How's Kitty?"

"She's okay," Elena smiled. "All our kitties made her feel better."

"I've got a kitty now too," Jack revealed, "My uncle went to Avalor for his work, and he brought me a kitty like yours, but it's red and brown."

"Well, we'll have to have a kitty play date with everyone's kitties," Nell smiled.

"Okay. And you'll be great singing," Jack added, seeing her look nervously at the stage. "Prince James is playing for you, right?"

"Yes," Gabby smiled.

"He's good at playing piano," Elena added, seeing Jack fidget a little. "You scared too?"

"No. Auntie Caroline had me wear this yucky suit and I don't like it," Jack grumbled.

"I think you look very handsome in a suit," Nell smiled.

"Thank you Miss O'Malley-Johnson," Jack smiled shyly.

"I know exactly how you feel," Bobby Lee smirked. "I couldn't wait to get out of my own suit when I had to get dressed up! But my mommy always told me that I looked nice, and she was happy I kept it clean."

"I felt the same way," Nell smiled. "I couldn't wait to take my shoes and stockings off when I was in my fancy outfits!"

"We do that too?" Elena asked.

"When we get home!" Nell chuckled.

"Hi Mr. Johnson. Hi Ricky!" Jack giggled, making funny faces.

Ricky giggled, flapping his hands as he watched the once enemy of Elena make different faces.

"Easy Jack or you're stick that way," Caroline smiled, fixing up the collar of his suit.

"Auntie Caroline!" Jack pouted, starting to blush. "Elena's watching!"

"She's probably heard that before too," Caroline smirked. "And I can't wait to hear all of you sing!"

"You think I be okay?" Elena asked.

"Of course you'll be okay, sweetheart," Caroline smiled. "Jack's told me that when he and his class sang with your class during music time, you sounded like an angel."

"What if I make mistake? Am I still angel?" Elena asked.

"Of course you are," Nell smiled. "Everyone's going to love you, and you'll be just fine!"

Even though she made a mistake, Elena was still an angel to the crowd as Jack ran up to her after the concert had ended and kissed her cheek.

Gabby giggled at her sister's blushing face, tapping Jack on the shoulder.

"You talk about Elena a lot. You like her?" Gabby asked, seeing Jack look embarrassed.

"She's nice," Jack admitted.

"I know how you're feeling, Jack," Bobby Lee smirked. "I teased Helen from when we were five until we were eight. But I knew that she was always so nice, and I teased her because I liked her."

"Sure, Robert, you keep telling yourself that," Nell smirked.

"Well it's the truth! And isn't our daughter's face evidence?" Bobby Lee asked.

"Jack like me?" Elena asked softly.

"He always talks about you. Elena this and Elena that," Caroline smiled, musing her hair. "In fact I have a drawing he did this morning. Jack wasn't happy with his daddy for taking him away from it."

"What it look like?" Gabby asked with a smile.

"It's got him and Elena riding on their kitties," Caroline smiled.

"That sounds nice," Nell smiled. "And Jack is a good artist; I saw his work outside the door once when I had to pick Gabby up when she got sick."

"Yeah!" Gabby smiled. "Miss Milly said she and the teachers put the kids' pictures in the halls so everybody can see them! She did that with one of Elena's pictures of Snow White!"

"And Elena's very happy about it," Nell smiled.

"Mommy me, Gabby, and Jack play with Ricky?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Alright but if he gets fussy, get me and Daddy," Nell said, musing her hair.

"We'll tell Ricky stories," Jack smiled. "I was reading my favorite magazine when I was coming here. There's this story in it that I was reading about a boy named Andrew and he was going on an adventure!"

"Andrew Harmon!" Gabby smiled, tapping Elena's shoulder to keep her from flapping her hands when she recognized James' spy character. "Jack, did you know James writes that?"

"I thought his name was familiar," Jack smiled.

"Elena helped him with his last one," Gabby smiled, spotting Ricky. "Hi Ricky!"

Ricky squealed as she took him in her arms. He offered Elena the kitty he'd been chewing on, hoping it would make her feel better.

"Thank you, Ricky," Elena smiled as she made the kitty give Ricky a kiss.

He giggled, grabbing the kitty back, having it kiss his sister back.

Elena flapped her hands before looking at Gabby and looked at the floor.

"I didn't see you flapping your hands if you didn't want me to," Jack smiled.

"Thank you," Elena whispered. She and Jack were getting along very well, and she didn't want to ruin it. Even though he was behaving himself, she was worried that he'd start teasing her again.

And she didn't want to get upset in front of everyone again.

"You like Andrew stories Ricky?" Jack asked, taking him in his arms.

"He likes them and kitty stories," Gabby smiled, seeing Ricky touch Jack's hair.

"We'll have to make up a story with both of them," Jack suggested. "Andrew can ride a kitty as he solves a mystery!"

"He did that when we went to Avalor!" Elena smiled, remembering the story that James had written during their vacation in Avalor.

"Okay, so let's make another story like that!" Jack smiled. "We all like kitty and Andrew stories, right?"

"Yeah!" Elena and Gabby cheered.

Ricky squealed, bouncing in Jack's arms. He had also been included in James' story, even though Nell said he was too young, but James had given him an honorable mention, and even let him help capture the villain.

"So you're Edward with the sharp teeth?" Jack cooed, putting Ricky down. "I liked you!"

"You read James' Andrew story?" Elena giggled happily.

"Lydia and Anna were really good," Jack smiled. "Daddy read it to me."

"Did you hear that it was pug-list in a real book?" Elena asked.

"Yeah!" Jack grinned. "Auntie Caroline got me a copy of it for my birthday! She knows I like Prince James' Andrew stories, and so she got me a sub-sub..."

"Subscription?" Nell supplied.

"Thanks!" Jack smiled. "To that magazine that pug-lists them!"

"Well, he's right over there," Nell motioned over to James, "You'll have to tell him how much you like his stories."

"If you're nervous, here's Ricky's kitty," Elena offered, patting Ricky on the head. "His nap-nap time will be soon but he's a good sharer!"

"With most things," Gabby smiled.

"Okay," Jack muttered, taking the kitty.

"Look how nice you're being Love Bug," Nell smiled, musing Elena's hair. "Jack and Gabby helped you and now you and her are helping him."

"We help each other, right?" Elena asked.

"Right!" Jack smiled.

"Go on. Meet James," Nell smirked, taking Ricky in her arms. "Come on little guy. I got an extra kitty for you to nap-nap with."

Ricky squealed, flapping his hands at the mention of a kitty before snuggling on Nell's chest.

At the same time, Elena led Jack over to where James was talking with Miss Joy. "James?"

"Elena! I just wanted to tell you that you did a brilliant job on both of those solos," James smiled.

"But I made a mistake," Elena frowned.

"But you were the only one who noticed it," James said as he hugged her. He let go when he saw Jack with her. "And you brought your friend with you."

"We're working on it," Jack admitted. "Prince James, I love your Andrew stories! Auntie Caroline gave me your book for my birthday!"

"They read a chapter together every night," Miss Joy grinned. "It's really improved his vocabulary."

"James' a dinosaur of words!" Elena giggled.

"A dinosaur?" Jack grinned.

"You mean a thesaurus," Miss Joy smiled.

"Well, my dad did say he and my mom used to read the dictionary and the thesaurus to me every night," James smirked. "When Amber got fairy tales as her bedtime stories, I was learning the meanings of different words."

"He's good with words, that's for sure," Bobby Lee grinned, "If Helen or I get too busy at night, he helps Elena and Gabby practice reading and spelling."

"But I still tell them stories," James grinned. "It's always their storybooks or kitties. They need more variety."

"I like kitties," Elena frowned.

"I think he means something like adventures or what he likes," Jack smiled, holding back a giggle. "Not that kitties are bad."

"I sometimes include a kitty in the story," James assured him, "I'm flexible when it comes to my stories."

"Variety is the spice of life," Miss Joy smiled.

"We tell Elena and Gabby that too," Nell smiled.

"Ricky nap-nap?" Elena yawned.

"Yes," Nell smiled, taking her in her arms. "And I think you need a nap-nap too."

"But we're too big for naps!" Jack pouted, unable to hold back a yawn. "We in kindergarten!"

"You're never too big for naps," Nell smiled, leading Elena away while Caroline took Jack with her. "We'll have to talk about a playdate for these two, where Jack can introduce his kitty to the ones we have at home."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Caroline smiled, gathering Jack up in her arms.

"We make story together," Elena murmured before she fell asleep.

"Yeah," Jack smiled as he fell asleep.


	30. Happy birthday Ricky

Chapter Thirty: Happy birthday Ricky

Siblings: Elena, Gabby, And Ricky.

Setting: Weeks after chapter thirty seven of family love.

"Hi Ricky," Elena smiled, watching as Ricky bounced up and down in his crib.

"Lena!" Ricky giggled, clapping his hands.

"Guess what today is?" Elena smiled, pushing down the bars of his crib.

"Love Bug let me get him," Nell smiled, taking Ricky in her arms. "Happy birthday little guy."

Ricky babbled a little as Elena stared excitedly. She always enjoyed him talking with kitty being his second word, noticing that he was looking at Nell.

"Ma ma!" Ricky giggled, petting Nell's hair.

"That's my boy!" Nell grinned, kissing him on the cheek.

"Ricky! We've got something special for you, buddy!" Bobby Lee grinned, motioning for Sofia, James, and Amber to come in. "Ready, guys?"

"James was born ready to do this," Amber grinned, turning to James and Sofia. "One, two, three!"

She, James, and Sofia sang as they picked Ricky up and danced him around the room, "They say it's your birthday! It's my birthday too, yeah! They say it's your birthday! We're gonna have a good time! I'm glad it's your birthday! Happy birthday to you!"

As Ricky squealed in their arms, Nell couldn't help but laugh herself. Sofia, James, and Amber did this every year for Elena and Gabby, and now she knew that it was Ricky's turn for the special song.

"You sing good!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Well Love Bug," Bobby Lee smirked, musing her hair.

"Lena!" Ricky giggled as James had let go of him.

He stood up and walked three steps before falling down.

"You try again later Ricky," Gabby smiled, walking into the room before helping him up. "Walking not a race!"

"Ricky take your time!" Elena agreed. Nell and Bobby Lee told her and Gabby that every day, that they did things at their own pace, and they weren't in competition with each other. "You do your best!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Nell smiled.

"We tell the girls that every day, and now we'll have to tell Ricky that too," Bobby Lee smiled.

"Ma ma!" Ricky squealed, reaching out for Nell.

"Okay sweetie I got you," Nell smiled, picking him up. "I'll get you changed and put you in your special birthday clothes!"

"Why?" Elena asked, a little confused. "Ricky stay home!"

"We want everyone to see how handsome he looks in his new outfit," Nell smiled. "Don't you like it when we let everyone see how pretty you are when you have new dresses?"

"Yeah! Grand Mommy makes pretty dresses!" Elena grinned, twirling around in her new red and white dress.

"I get same dress?" Gabby asked sleepily.

"Yes you do Gab-Gab," Bobby Lee smiled, taking her hand. "Tell you what I'll help you get ready while Mommy helps Ricky."

"Daddy! Gabby big girl!" Elena giggled.

"That's true, but she's still a little sleepy," Bobby Lee smiled. "She was taking a nap to get her strength back after her physical therapy session, and our little musical number woke her up."

"Sorry, Gabby," James apologized. "You want me to sing you a song to help you go to sleep?"

"Gabby can't sleep!" Elena pleaded, tugging on his hand, "We have to have Ricky's birthday!"

"It's okay, Elena; Gabby can rest while we get ready," Nell smiled. "By the time the party starts, she'll feel much better."

"Okay," Elena smiled.

"Lena!" Ricky giggled, flapping his hands.

"I know you love your sister very much but you have to get ready little buddy," Nell smiled, ruffling his hair.

"Lena! Lena!" Ricky fussed.

"Mommy I stay with you and Ricky," Elena offered, taking Ricky in her arms.

"Love bug! That's really sweet of you," Nell smiled, musing her hair.

"We'll all help you," Sofia offered. "Amber and I can help with Elena and Gabby's dresses, and James can help Nell watch her and Ricky."

"Okay," Nell smiled as Elena handed Ricky over.

Ricky fussed, reaching for Elena as James patted his back.

"Elena's your best friend isn't she?" Amber cooed, stroking his hair.

"Maybe we should take Zoomer with us," James suggested with a smile. "Just in case."

"Ricky does like his kitty," Nell smiled, nuzzling Zoomer against him.

Ricky giggled as he gave Zoomer a hug. "Ooma kitty!"

"That's right; Zoomer's your kitty," Nell smiled. "Greenie's your kitty too!"

"But he can't say Greenie yet. He only knows four words," Elena frowned.

"That doesn't mean he can't try," James smirked.

"Enough foolishness. Ricky only turns one once!" Nell chuckled, taking Ricky from James.

"Then let's give him a birthday he'll never forget!" Amber grinned. However, she saw James and Sofia frown. "I know, bigger's not always better, but we should really celebrate with him!"

"We appreciate your enthusiasm, Amber, but maybe you should let us handle the party planning," Nell smirked, recalling the prank with the Sweetheart Pies that James and Sofia had played on Amber. Though she didn't like it when people played pranks on others, she did admire the fact that the prank was disguised as a lesson.

"I'll still help you, Nell, but in the background," Amber promised.

"Good idea!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Lena," Ricky cooed, snuggling against her.

"Don't worry little buddy Elena's good with parties," Bobby Lee smirked, musing Elena's hair.

"What would you like at the party, Ricky?" Sofia asked. "Would you like to see kitties?"

Ricky clapped his hands at the idea. He'd loved kitties from the moment he was born. He held up Zoomer and looked around for Greenie.

"We'll definitely make sure Zoomer and Greenie are there, Ricky," Nell smiled. "You deserve to have all your friends at the party."

"What about us?" Elena pouted.

"He can't have a party without his sisters!" James chuckled, musing her hair.

"Except for one. But she's a little sleepy right now," Bobby Lee smiled, taking Gabby in his arms.

"Don't worry, Ricky, Gabby will be awake in time for the party," Nell smiled as Bobby Lee carried Gabby out. She saw that Elena was about to pout, so she asked, "Elena, what did you say you got Ricky for his birthday?"

Elena smiled. "Grand Mommy took me shopping and we got something cute! Ricky's gonna love it!"

"Lena?" Ricky asked.

"It's a surprise, Ricky! I can't tell you!" Elena giggled.

Ricky pouted before Nell took him in her arms, nuzzling Zoomer against him.

He giggled at the touch, allowing her to put him down on the changing table.

"Can I help?" Elena asked with a smile. "Amber and Sofia can get up our aunties!"

"That's right, Love Bug," Nell grinned, "Madeline and Sabrina shouldn't miss Ricky's big day either!"

"Can we take Ricky's dragon too?" Elena asked, recalling the dragon Mr. Magic Man had made for Ricky, which was a copy of James' stuffed dragon Sir Blaze-a-Lot.

"No, Ricky's got Zoomer with him, and I think that's enough," Nell smiled. She saw Elena start to pout, and added, "But that doesn't mean that we can't tell him about the party when we come back and put you to bed."

"Okay!" Elena smiled. "What Ricky's dragon's name again?"

"You and Gabby named him. Remember?" Nell asked with a smile.

"Yeah!" Elena giggled, going to the other side of the changing table.

Even though she still wasn't fond of the smell of a wet diaper, Elena did her best to help get Ricky ready. As she carried the dirty one to the trash, she shuddered as she remembered how she and Gabby had changed him in Avalor, and Nell had described it as "taking apart a tamale and putting it back together."

"Thank you, girls," Nell smiled as she put the clean diaper on him. "You get better at that every time you help me. Soon you'll be ready to change him by yourselves again!"

"NO!" Elena cried out, backing away.

"You know I'm just kidding, Love Bug," Nell grinned. "Now come on. Let's get the birthday boy, and Mr. Dragon, and go see everyone!"

Elena took Mr. Dragon in her arms as Nell carried Ricky, smiling softly while her brother babbled happily.

She liked when he babbled and talked. And sometimes when he chewed on things. Except when it came to anything Gabby owned.

Especially her Bendy Wendy doll.

Elena remembered when she'd first gotten Bendy Wendy. Gabby was first starting her physical therapy after Rex had bitten her. She had wanted to come too, but she had to stay home. Nell had given her Bendy Wendy when Gabby had come home, and together they learned about the stretching exercises Gabby had to do for her leg.

She also remembered showing the doll to Ricky before they went to Avalor. He liked watching Elena stretch her arms and legs to imitate what Gabby did.

"You don't bite Bendy Wendy," Elena frowned a little, glancing at Ricky who spotted Mr. Dragon. "She's Gabby's toy!"

"He didn't mean too Love Bug," Nell assured her with a smile. "Ricky only crawled over to her."

"And made Gabby sad by putting her in his mouth!" Elena pouted.

"It's okay, Love Bug," Nell smiled. "You know that Bendy Wendy's washable, and if Ricky puts her in his mouth, she can be cleaned up. It's just like when Ricky puts Kitty in his mouth."

Elena smiled a little. She knew that Ricky didn't mean to hurt Kitty when he bit her, and she could always be washed if he got her dirty or sticky. She took the doll and made it do one of Gabby's stretches. "Can you do that, Ricky?"

Ricky giggled and flapped his hands, and he squealed as Elena stretched his arms out in opposite directions.

"That's right, Love Bug," Bobby Lee grinned, "And let's not forget this..." He went behind Nell, taking her hands in his and stretching her arms out as if they were wings.

"Oh, very well," Nell smirked, then she gave a dramatic gasp. "I'm flying! Robert!"

"Oh you two," Miranda smiled, ruffling Ricky's hair. "Happy birthday sweetie."

"Ma ma!" Ricky giggled, reaching out for Miranda.

"No no Ricky. That's Queen!" Elena giggled. "Can you say queen?"

"Ma ma!" Ricky repeated with a squeal.

"He'll learn one day at a time, Elena," Miranda smiled. "Although it sounds so nice to hear someone call me 'mama' again! I was so happy the day Sofia said that!"

"I was crying myself when Elena and Gabby called me 'mama' for the first time," Nell smiled.

"Ma ma!" Ricky giggled as Miranda took him in her arms.

"It's your birthday sweetie. You can call me 'mama' all you want," Miranda cooed, stroking his hair.

"King celebrating Ricky's birthday too?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Of course he is," Miranda smiled. "We're all going to celebrate with Ricky."

"James sing to Ricky?" Elena asked.

"Of course he will, Love Bug," Nell grinned.

"Yay!" Elena squealed, flapping her hands.

Ricky giggled, following her movements before spotting a plush kitty.

"How did Lavender Kitty get out here?" Nell smiled, taking Sofia's kitty in her arms.

"Tiger kitty here too!" Elena exclaimed, running up to Blizzard Kitty.

"Lady Lavender and Prince Blizzard must be two guests at the party," Sofia smiled. "Amber's kitty's here too."

"Here she is!" Gabby giggled, holding up Duchess Kitty.

"So many kitties at this party, so little time," Bobby Lee smiled, tossing Ricky up.

Ricky giggled, and as Bobby Lee set him down, he saw James' green kitty and held him up.

"James has a Greenie too?" Elena asked.

"No, Love Bug, remember? It's camouflage," Bobby Lee smiled, holding Cammo Kitty up. "He blends in with his surroundings."

Ricky babbled happily, crawling to Prince Blizzard as Elena had set him down.

"We figured it wouldn't be a Ricky party without his kitty friends coming too," Amber smiled, ruffling his hair.

"Kitty!" Ricky giggled, hugging Prince Blizzard close. "Ooma!"

"Yes, all your kitty friends like playing with Zoomer," Nell smiled.

"Shall we sing some kitty songs, Ricky?" James asked, going over to the piano.

"Kitties like singing, Ricky!" Elena giggled.

"And James loves playing kitty songs," Sofia smiled as James started playing one of Elena and Ricky's favorites.

"He sure does!" Sabrina giggled, holding a gift for Ricky in her arms.

"Sabrina not yet," Roland smiled, ruffling her hair. "Give that to Baileywick."

"Hi Ricky," Madeline smiled, taking Ricky in her arms. "Still working on learning how to walk huh?"

"He gets better every time he practices," Bobby Lee grinned.

"Soon you'll be chasing him all over the castle, just like we did with the girls," Nell smiled.

"And just wait until we have to chase him when he plays you-know-what!" Bobby Lee smirked.

"Robert, don't you dare!" Nell scolded.

However, her warning came too late. Bobby Lee picked Ricky up and ran him around the room as he sang out, "Don't look, Helen!"

"Robert Lee Johnson, I said don't you dare!" Nell scolded over Madeline, Sabrina, Elena, and Gabby's giggles. She frowned at James, who started playing the chorus of that accursed song. "James, you're as bad as he is!"

Ricky giggled as Bobby Lee had put him down, crawling over to the newest person in the room.

"Have you gotten faster little man?" Florence cooed, taking him in her arms.

"Ma ma!" Ricky giggled.

"No no. I've already been a mama once," Florence smirked playfully, stroking his hair.

"Hi Grand Mommy!" Elena and Gabby giggled, running over to Florence.

"Careful Gabby. You don't want to get hurt. Not on Ricky's birthday," Florence warned with a smile.

Gabby nodded. The last thing she wanted was to make Ricky sad on his birthday. She went over to where Ricky was playing with his kitty friends and picked up Cammo Kitty. "James won him at a carnival, Ricky! He won me a dolly too!"

"That's right," Nell smiled. "He uses Cammo Kitty as a writing helper, and he sometimes gets to bring him to school."

"Can we bring our dollies to school? They be writing helpers too?" Elena asked.

"No, but they can help you with your homework," Nell smirked. "Just like James says his kitties help with his ideas, your dollies can help with your ideas."

"Kitty!" Ricky squealed, flapping his hands.

"You might get lots of kitties today," Gabby smiled, taking Lady Lavender and nuzzling her against him.

"I don't think so Gabby Anna," Bianca smiled, kneeling down to Ricky's level. "Happy birthday Richard Edward."

Ricky grabbed Lady Lavender from Gabby, standing up a little.

"Are you going to dance with Lady Lavender?" Bianca asked. "She's such a beautiful kitty, too!"

"Ricky met our kitties when James invited me and Amber to one of his writing sessions," Sofia smiled. "He said Prince Blizzard, Duchess Kitty and Lady Lavender had really good ideas for his story!"

"Oh, yes, we've all seen James' brainstorming sessions with his 'helpers!'" Nell grinned, recalling the time she, Bobby Lee, Elena, Gabby, Madeline, and Sabrina all sat in on one of James' writing sessions. They had all brought their jaquins with them, and watched as James got ideas for his story with the jaquins' help.

Ricky babbled, taking a couple steps with Lady Lavender in his arms.

"Are you dancing Ricky?" Sabrina asked with a smile.

"He try!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"If we're lucky, he'll probably start walking on his own," Madeline grinned. "All it took for Elena to walk was following a kitty to the stables."

"Ricky does like kitties as much as Elena," Bobby Lee grinned, recalling Ricky's first meeting with the cats that lived in the stables, and Elena's kitty Snow White. He'd loved seeing the kitties play together, and Snow White had even let him pet her.

"Ricky nice to Snow White!" Elena smiled. She had told Ricky that if he was mean to her kitty then he couldn't play with her. Nell and Bobby Lee knew she wasn't being mean; they knew that when she first adopted Snow White, Madeline and Sabrina had played roughly with her. Since then, they couldn't play with her unless Elena said so, and Nell and Elena had to watch them if they were around her.

"Lena!" Ricky squealed, taking some more steps.

"That's It Ricky. Let the kitty guide you," Miranda smiled.

"You think he's going to walk on his birthday?" Sabrina grinned.

"Gabby did," Bobby Lee recalled with a smirk.

"It's not a race," Elena smiled, flapping her hands as she recalled what Nell and Bobby Lee always told her. She hugged Ricky as she remembered taking her first steps a few days before Wassalia.

"We've taught you well, Love Bug," Bobby Lee smiled. He took Ricky in his arms as he said, "She's right, you know, Ricky. You take your time and walk when you're ready."

Ricky giggled and showed him Cammo Kitty before putting him in his mouth.

"You can clean him up later," Roland assured James who started playing the piano.

"I pick kitty song?" Elena asked, taking Cammo Kitty from Ricky's mouth.

"Lena kitty!" Ricky giggled, petting her hair.

"That's right, Ricky, Elena loves her kitties," James smiled, "And Dad, don't worry about Cammo Kitty. He's been one of Ricky's favorite kitties since I introduced him to him." He motioned Roland closer and lowered his voice. "And just like I did with Sir Blaze-a-Lot on Wassalia, I took Cammo Kitty to Cedric yesterday, and he made a different-colored copy of him for Ricky." He pointed at a package on the table and went on with his song.

"Your secret's safe with me, James," Roland smiled.

"Richard Edward, would you like to open your gifts now?" Bianca asked a little later, watching James take a break with a few snacks.

Ricky clapped his hands as an answer, crawling to the pile of gifts before him.

"Easy sweetie. That's bigger than you are," Florence smiled, musing his hair.

"You need help Ricky?" Gabby asked, seeing him stand up.

"Maybe to get it started, but we'll let Ricky do the rest," Bobby Lee smiled. "And...let's see, what did you and Elena always say when we offered to help you with something?"

"I remember," Nell grinned. "ME DO IT!"

"Elena said that to me too," James remembered. "I offered to help her get dressed when she was about two, but she said 'me do it!' I asked if she was sure, and she said again 'Me do it!' So, I said to her, 'Okay; I'll just be in your reading chair brushing up on my Dr. Seuss.' Suddenly, she calls for me to help her! We get her dress on her, and she says 'Me do it!'"

As everyone laughed at the memory, Ricky giggled as he found a small package.

"What's that Ricky?" Elena asked, joining her brother.

"Lena!" Ricky giggled, holding up the small package.

"No sweetie that's not from her," Nell smiled, musing his hair. "It's from Daddy."

"Da da!" Ricky squealed, clapping his hands.

"I was crying when Elena called me dada for the first time when she started talking," Bobby Lee grinned as he picked him up. He laid his head on Ricky's shoulder as he said, "I think I might start again right now!"

"Oh, Robert," Florence chuckled.

"What did Daddy get you, Ricky?" Elena asked.

"He can't read it honey," Nell smiled, musing her hair.

"We read for him!" Gabby giggled.

"We help Ricky!" Elena added, gently taking the gift.

"What does it say girls?" Roland smiled.

"'Happy birthday Ricky! We love you!'" Gabby read the card, "Lots of love, Mommy, Daddy, Elena, Gabby, Auntie Madeline, and Auntie Sabrina!'"

"And we'll take that to Cedric to make it resistant to everything," James added, "Then I'll find a special folder for it so I don't accidentally throw it away."

Madeline gave him a hug. "James, I forgave you for that a long time ago! You and Amber made me a new card, Mr. Cedric put all kinds of protection spells on it, and I put it in the special envelope Miss Bianca gave me!"

"Yes, you both learned from your mistakes that day," Bianca smiled. "Now, Richard Edward, would you like to open the gift the card goes with?"

Ricky nodded, tearing at the wrapping paper before looking at the toy in his arms.

"Dolly?" Elena asked Bobby Lee with a smile.

"No it's not a dolly," Bobby Lee smirked. "But it's something he can't choke on."

"His first shield," Florence smirked, seeing the tiny shield in Ricky's arms. "Very interesting, Robert."

"Well, if he's going to be a junior guard one day, he may as well get a start learning about the tools we use," Bobby Lee grinned. "But don't worry, Mother; I won't give him a sword, real or otherwise, until he's older."

"Good idea," Florence agreed. "Now, why don't we let him open a gift that's a little more appropriate for him?" She gave Ricky the little gift from James next.

"Ricky, look! You got a Camel Kitty like James!" Elena giggled, seeing the blue version of Cammo Kitty. "He's gonna be Zoomer and Greenie's little brother too!"

Ricky placed one of the paws of his new kitty in his mouth before spotting a gift from Elena.

"Maybe it's a sword to match the shield," Nell joked, causing Bobby Lee to roll his eyes playfully.

"Mommy! Swords are pointy!" Gabby pouted. "And Daddy says we can't play with them!"

"You're right, Gab-Gab, it's not a sword," Bobby Lee smiled. "Elena and I went to the store a few days ago, and we found a few little things Ricky might like."

Nell smiled as Bobby Lee and Elena gave Ricky a shape-sorting box and a bunny push toy. "That's good thinking, Elena," she observed. "Ricky can use the bunny push toy to help him with his balance since he's still learning to walk. And this can help him start learning his shapes and colors."

"How about one more gift before we start the cake?" James suggested.

"Before we start opening the rest? Not a bad idea," Miranda smiled.

"I found Mommy's gift!" Elena giggled, taking it in her arms. "But it's not a toy."

"No toy?" Gabby frowned.

"It's a baby book, just like the ones we made for you and Gabby for your first birthday," Nell smiled. "Daddy and I wrote down all of your firsts: your first steps, your first words, and we even saved a little lock of hair from your first haircuts."

"James write in it too?" Elena asked.

"If I can't find Daddy or Grand Mommy to help me write something in the book, then maybe," Nell grinned.

Ricky wanted to chew on the baby book before remembering that he would be getting cake as Elena took him in her arms.

"At least you didn't have to make two cakes this time Nell," Sabrina smiled at the memory. "Elena and Gabby got frosting everywhere."

"And I don't have to hear you and Maddie arguing about which cake Ricky gets," Nell smirked.

At the same time, Ricky squealed as Bobby Lee took his little fist and smashed it into a smaller cake that Florence had made. "There you go, little guy!" he grinned, "You're officially a year old!"

"Robert, you're just awful!" Nell couldn't help but laugh.

"It's just like every year with James and our birthday," Amber grinned. "He gets more cake on his face than in his mouth!"

"And after his presents, Ricky gets a bath," Nell smiled.

"Why Ricky get small cake and we get big cake?" Elena frowned.

"It's so he can destroy it with his hands. You and Gabby did the same thing," Madeline recalled with a smile.

"All our children did that at that age. Yes, even you, Amber," Roland smiled at Amber.

"Lena!" Ricky giggled, giving Elena some of his cake.

"Careful Richard Edward. I don't think Elena Lydia wants a bath," Bianca smiled, musing his hair.

"Bath still bad but I want Ricky's cake!" Elena giggled.

"The one he smashed, and this one, are the same flavor, Love Bug," Nell smirked, cutting the bigger cake.

"Okay!" Elena giggled as she took her own piece of cake.

"Oh no. You're filling her with sugar!" Bobby Lee exclaimed mockingly as Ricky giggled.

"It's Ricky's birthday. Let them all be filled with sugar," Miranda grinned.

"They'll have a sugar crash soon enough, Helen," Florence smirked.

"You're probably right," Nell smirked as she gave Gabby a piece of cake too.

Ricky reached out for the bigger cake as Bobby Lee gave him a slice.

"He can't eat the whole thing!" Sabrina giggled. "Ricky's too little."

"He can try," Roland smiled, musing her hair.

Ricky smiled as he saw the smashed cake on his tray. Fortunately, since the cake crumbs on his high chair were small, he was able to pick them up.

"Good boy, Ricky!" Bobby Lee smiled as he watched him try to feed himself.

"That's my boy!" Nell smiled.

"Yay Ricky!" Gabby cheered with a giggle.

"Presents now?" Elena asked.

"Alright. Then bath time," Florence grinned, taking Ricky out of his high chair. "All three of you."

"No!" Elena pouted, hiding behind Sofia.

"You wouldn't want Kitty covered in cake do you?" Sofia smiled.

"No!" Elena gasped.

"You'll be fine, Elena, and as soon as you have your bath, you can help Ricky name his new kitty," James suggested, holding up the blue Cammo Kitty.

Elena smiled at the idea. She knew Auntie Madeline was good at naming kitties, since she'd been the one who named Zoomer, but now she'd get a turn to name a kitty too.

"Lena!" Ricky giggled, standing up and taking some steps.

"You don't need to walk now Ricky," Gabby smiled. "Take it one day at a time!"

"You listened to me and Daddy so well," Nell grinned, covering her in kisses.

"And after your baths, I'll play one of your favorite kitty songs," James added. "All of our kitties, and Ricky's new kitty can join us too!"

"Kitties like singing!" Elena giggled.

"Yes they do," Nell smiled.

"Kitties can't sing!" Madeline giggled.

"Madeline, don't be ridiculous. If kitties weren't meant to sing, that musical about them never would have been composed," Nell smirked.

Elena pouted once the rest of Ricky's gifts were opened. She didn't want his birthday to end but knew that he had to grow up as Nell took her hand.

"No running off. You're Ricky's example," Nell smiled, musing her hair.

"Have I been a good exam-pole Mommy?" Elena wondered. "Even when Ricky baby?"

"You've been very good no matter how old Ricky gets," Nell smiled. "He'll always look up to you, and not just because you're short!" she added, knowing that James or Bobby Lee would add that when she or Gabby said that they looked up to them. "You always do your best to set good examples for Ricky."

"Lena!" Ricky giggled, flapping his hands.

"See? He looks up to you Love Bug," Nell grinned, musing her hair.

"Say Gabby!" Gabby pouted, crossing her arms.

Ricky babbled in confusion before he yawned.

"Maybe he'll say it after his bath or after his nap," Nell smiled, pulling Gabby into a hug. "You know we always tell all of you to take it one day at a time and it's not a race."

"I know," Gabby smiled, kissing Ricky's forehead. "You take your time, Ricky."

"Bee-Bee!" Ricky squealed.

"We'll work on it, but great job, Ricky!" Bobby Lee cheered, tossing him up.

"Lena! Bee-Bee!" Ricky giggled.


	31. Sticker trouble

Chapter Thirty One: Sticker trouble

Siblings: Elena, Gabby, and Ricky.

Setting: Before chapter two of do you want to sing together xxll.

"Hey Ricky. Did you have a nice nap?" Nell cooed, taking her son out of his crib.

Ricky babbled happily before he pouted at thought of his sisters.

"How is he?" Bobby Lee asked, stroking his hair.

"Still missing Elena and Gabby," Nell sighed. "He wouldn't even play with Zoomer this morning."

"Lena? Bee-bee?" Ricky asked, looking around for them.

"We can pick them up together when school lets out," Bobby Lee offered, nuzzling Ricky's little friend Zoomer against him.

Ricky smiled for a moment at the touch of his little friend, but he kept looking around, thinking that his sisters were just playing hide-and-seek somewhere in the castle. "Ooma?" he asked.

"Don't worry, buddy; Zoomer's here," Nell smiled. "And soon Elena and Gabby will be here with you too."

Ricky giggled, clapping his hands happily.

"That's our happy little guy," Bobby Lee smiled, taking him in his arms. "I got him Helen."

"You sure?" Nell smirked playfully.

Ricky looked around, hoping he'd hear Elena calling for him like she often did when she came home from the doctor's. He waited for Gabby to come and give him a hug. When he didn't see or hear them, he started to whimper again.

"Come here, buddy," Bobby Lee smiled, taking him over to a chair and sitting down with him. "You like this, right?" As he spoke, he started bouncing Ricky in his arms.

Ricky smiled and flapped his hands. He wasn't autistic like Elena, but he liked copying what she did. However, when he saw his hands going up and down like hers, he started to look sad again, and whimpered in Bobby Lee's arms.

Nell shushed him gently, looking at the clock.

"The wagon should be coming in a few minutes," Nell smiled, stroking his hair. "Remember? Mommy and Daddy only pick Elena or Gabby up if it's early or they need to go somewhere or they're sick. Do you wanna wait for the wagon?"

Ricky squealed at the thought of seeing his sisters again before cooing in confusion as Bobby Lee laid him down on his changing table.

"Let's get you changed first, before your sisters come home," Bobby Lee suggested.

"Good idea," Nell smirked as she helped hold Ricky down, since he tended to squirm as someone changed him.

When Ricky was all set, Nell gave him Zoomer as she and Bobby Lee went out to wait for Elena and Gabby to come home.

He immediately dropped his beloved toy to the ground once the wagon had shown up, crawling to it before Bobby Lee stopped him.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look what we got!" Elena giggled as she helped Gabby out of the wagon.

"Well, look at this," Bobby Lee smiled. "You got some new picture books!"

"That's right; it's your library time this week," Nell agreed. "We can read those as your bedtime stories!"

"We got this too!" Elena cheered, holding up a paper with gold stars on it.

"Stickers!" Gabby smiled. "We had art today and Miss Joy said we could take our extra stickers home!"

"That sounds like fun," Nell smiled, remembering how Madeline and Sabrina used to love playing with their stickers when they were that age.

"Lena! Bee-bee!" Ricky giggled, reaching out for the stickers.

"No. That ours!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"What harm can he do?" Bobby Lee smirked.

"You really want to know?" Nell smirked, recalling the last time Ricky had gotten into the girls' paint sets. He'd crawled all over one of Elena's unfinished paintings, and she was...unhappy about the whole thing. However, she knew that Ricky would be punished with a bath, since Nell had said he was too young for time-outs.

"Good idea. We don't want another incident with the paints!" Bobby Lee agreed; he and Florence had given Ricky his bath while Nell, Madeline, Sabrina, and Bianca worked together to calm Elena down. "But luckily for all of us, stickers can't do as much damage as paints!"

"Indeed," Nell smiled, hearing Ricky coo. "You happy your sisters are home little guy?"

"Lena! Bee-bee!" Ricky squealed, taking one of the gold star stickers.

"I'll take that as a yes, but you just be careful with those stickers, little guy," Nell smiled. "Lena and Bee-bee probably brought those home for all of us to play with."

Ricky giggled and put the sticker on the end of her nose. "Ma ma!"

"Yes, she's a gold-star mommy, isn't she, Ricky?" Bobby Lee grinned.

"Yeah! Mommy's a gold star!" Elena giggled.

"She's the best at everything!" Gabby added.

"Everything?" Nell grinned, musing their hair.

"I couldn't agree more," Bobby Lee grinned, kissing her on the cheek.

At the same time, Elena was showing Ricky how she used the stickers on her picture. "I find a star, just like Amber!" she giggled, pointing at the star she put just past the tip of her unicorn's horn.

"That's right; that's Amberina Major," Nell smiled as she remembered how Amber had discovered the star. Just like Roland said that was going to be the first star he gazed at every night, Nell would wish on the star every night. "We'll have to show her your picture when it's done!"

"I name a star too?" Elena asked.

"You never know, Love Bug, but first you have to discover one," Nell smiled.

"We discover it together?" Elena's asked, putting an arm around Gabby as she set the stickers down.

"Of course you can!" Bobby Lee chuckled, musing her hair.

Ricky crawled towards the sheet of stickers and grabbed them before crawling off. He wondered what needed a gold star.

He didn't have long to wonder what needed a star. Sofia came up to him and smiled as she picked him up and hugged him. "Hello, Ricky! What do you have there?"

Ricky giggled and showed her the star stickers. "Fia!" he squealed.

"That's right! You're such a big boy!" Sofia smiled. She knew Nell and Bobby Lee had been teaching Ricky how to say her and her siblings' names since he learned to talk.

"Fia!" Ricky giggled, spotting Sofia's amulet and putting a star sticker on it.

"Hey! That's not where stars go!" Sofia chuckled, tossing him in the air.

Ricky squealed as he put another sticker on her tiara and toddled off when he was on the ground again.

He found his way to James' room next. James always had so many nice kitties to play with, and he liked sharing his dragon with him. James had even asked Cedric to make a copy of Sir Blaze-a-Lot for him, and Elena and Gabby had named his new friend Mr. Dragon.

James was working on a new story as Ricky came in. He was looking at one of his 'assistants' when he heard a new voice, and this time it was real. "Ricky!" he smiled as he sat up and took him on his lap. "You want to hear my new story?"

Ricky squealed and bounced in James' arms. He always liked hearing his stories, especially the one he had been included in. He also liked it because he got to chew on James' 'helpers'.

"Games!" Ricky giggled, clapping his hands.

"Oh? What do you have there?" James smiled, spotting the stickers.

Ricky proudly put a sticker on each of James' helpers. "Games!" he smiled.

James' smile faded a little when he saw the gold stars. He remembered what happened the first time he got a gold star on a story. Someone had ripped it up in jealousy and thrown the gold star away, but the fairies had fixed everything for him.

Ricky looked up when he saw James looking a little sad. "Games?" he asked, offering him Cammo Kitty.

James smiled as he gave the green kitty a hug. "It's okay, Ricky. I was thinking about something else. You didn't do anything wrong."

Ricky hugged him before being put down.

"Bye-bye Games!" Ricky giggled, crawling out of the room.

He crawled around for a moment before spotting Amber's gown.

"Ember!" Ricky squealed, flapping his hands.

"Well, hello, Ricky!" Amber smiled as she picked him up and hugged him, "What are you up to today?"

Ricky giggled and put a star sticker on her tiara.

"Thank you, Ricky!" Amber smiled. "You made my tiara even prettier!"

Ricky squealed as Amber spun him around and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to him. Amber always sang that to Elena and Gabby when they were younger and she was showing them her star, and now it was Ricky's turn to hear it.

"Ember!" Ricky giggled, dropping the sheet to the floor.

"Oh! There's a note on the back!" Amber exclaimed, bending down to pick up the sheet.

"Lena? Bee-bee?" Ricky asked in confusion.

"These must be theirs," Amber said as she read it. "They probably let you play with them too." She sat down with Ricky on a bench in the hallway. "I remember when James and I were that age. We liked playing with stickers too. Cedric would give us little sheets of stickers like these, and we'd make little pictures. Maybe I'll ask him to make some more for you, and you and I can make a picture for Nell and Bobby Lee."

"Ember!" Ricky squealed, giving her a hug at the idea.

"Good boy!" Amber giggled, kissing his forehead. "You stay here while I get the stickers okay?"

Ricky babbled happily as she left, crawling off the bench before finding himself on the floor.

He crawled for awhile before spotting the door to Roland's study ajar and crawled inside the empty room.

Ricky cooed as he looked around. He'd never been in this room before! He smiled when he saw Roland's kitty Regent on a low table. He figured this kitty was just like James' 'helpers', telling Roland what to write. As he took the blue and gold kitty, he saw several papers under him. Ricky thought that these must be stories for him and his sisters, so he started putting the stickers on the documents.

"Ricky! There you are!" he heard Miranda's voice.

"Ma ma!" Ricky giggled, showing her his new friend.

"Yes, sweetheart, I see the kitty," Miranda smiled as she picked him up. She looked at the papers that had gold stars on them. "And haven't you been busy!"

"Mommy! Ricky here!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Richard Edward Johnson the second!" Nell scolded but sighed in relief as she saw him in Miranda's arms.

"Ma ma?" Ricky asked in confusion.

"Thanks for finding him, Miranda," Nell smiled. "Ricky, you had me worried!"

"Ma ma," Ricky cooed, snuggling close to her.

"You know that trick only works so much, right?" Nell smirked.

"Ricky like star stickers too!" Elena smiled.

"I see. Luckily not a lot," Nell smiled.

"Bad Ricky! That King's documents!" Elena scolded, seeing the documents.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to sweetheart," Miranda smiled, musing her hair.

"Of course he didn't," they heard Roland's voice behind them. "I stepped out for a few moments to speak to Baileywick about something, and we saw Ricky crawl into my study. We figured he really couldn't do too much in there. And at least Regent was there to keep an eye on him."

"Ricky likes King's kitty too!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands.

"Indeed he does," Roland smiled.

"Does Re-gent do what James' kitties do, when they help James write his stories?" Elena asked.

"You mean assist?" Miranda smiled. "They have a few times."

"Ma ma!" Ricky giggled, clapping his hands.

"What else did you put the stickers on Ricky?" Nell smiled, stroking his hair.

"Mommy mad no more?" Elena asked.

"How could I be mad?" Nell smirked. "I know he was only playing, and this can easily be fixed."

"That's right," Roland smiled. "I saw Sofia and Amber had stars on their tiaras, but they put them on a little piece of paper so they wouldn't get lost. And James' 'helpers' had a few stars on them."

"James might have to help re-write some of your documents, right?" Nell asked.

"Indeed, but it shouldn't take him long," Roland smiled.

"James get gold star cause he's good writer?" Elena asked.

"I couldn't agree more," Roland smirked, mussing her hair.

Ricky cooed, clapping his hands before wiggling out of Nell's arms and crawled out of the room.

"I get him Mommy," Elena offered, walking out of Roland's study.

She smiled softly, seeing her baby brother crawl into her and Gabby's room before frowning.

She feared he would get into their library books with the rest of the star stickers he had, making them unable to be checked out again.

However, she had nothing to worry about. She entered the room and found Ricky on Bobby Lee's lap. "Ricky! Mommy! I found Ricky!"

"I've got him, Love Bug," Bobby Lee grinned as Ricky put a gold star on his forehead. "Thank you, Ricky!"

"Ricky had adventure!" Elena giggled.

"With our stickers?" Gabby frowned. "They're ours!"

"Bee-bee?" Ricky frowned, looking ready to cry.

"It's all right, Gabby, Ricky was only playing with them," Nell smiled. "Remember how you and Elena always played with the stickers Auntie Madeline and Auntie Sabrina gave you? You put them on everything and everyone too!"

Gabby smiled a little as she remembered. That had been fun, decorating the different things with stickers. "Okay. And Elena and I are good sharers," she admitted.

"Yes you are," Nell smiled.

"Bee-bee!" Ricky giggled, putting a star sticker on the book she was reading.

"Luckily that wasn't your library book," Bobby Lee smirked.

"What library book did you two get anyway?" Nell asked, smiling as Ricky wiggled out of Bobby Lee's arms and crawled around, seeing what he could put a star sticker on.

"I got Samantha's Zoo Mystery," Gabby smiled. "Elena wanted another kitty book, but Miss Joy sug-gest-ted she get something else."

"She read this with me too!" Elena giggled, showing them the book. "Molly's Jungle Ad-ven-ture!"

"We'll have to read these with you too," Nell smiled, looking through the books. "And don't worry; we'll make sure Ricky doesn't get any stickers on them!"

"Lena! Bee-bee!" Ricky giggled, pointing to their favorite toys.

"Bendy Wendy was needing something new," Gabby smiled, taking the doll in her arms.

"No! Kitty!" Elena wailed, quickly taking off the star stickers from her favorite toy.

"Elena, it's okay," Nell smiled. "Kitty wasn't hurt, and neither was Bendy Wendy. We'll put the stickers on a piece of paper for you, so you can still have your presents from Ricky. Does that sound okay?"

"Okay," Elena nodded. She saw that Ricky looked ready to cry, so she took him in her arms. "It's okay, Ricky. You try to make Kitty pretty too!"

"Lena kitty!" Ricky giggled, flapping his hands.

"Stickers no toy," Elena smiled, musing his hair. "You put them on stuff."

"Stuff like papers, not dollies or kitties," Gabby added.

"That's right, girls," Nell smirked. "And maybe we should keep the stickers out of Ricky's reach for a while. Or we could let him play with them as we watch him!"

"Okay!" Elena smiled.

"Yeah!" Gabby agreed.

"Ma ma! Ma ma!" Ricky giggled, a sticker in his hand as he crawled to Nell.

"Oh. Is this for me?" Nell asked before he pointed to himself. "It's for you little guy?"

"I think he should get a gold star," Bobby Lee grinned. "Nobody gets into more mischief than Ricky!"

"Very true," Nell grinned as she put the sticker on his hand.

"Yay Ricky!" Elena cheered, flapping her hands.

"Good boy Ricky!" Gabby giggled.

Ricky giggled as he bounced in Bobby Lee's arms. "Da da!" he squealed.

"That's my boy!" Bobby Lee grinned. "Now, shall we take the papers to James and watch him work his writing magic?"

"James like Mr. Magic Man?" Elena asked.

"No, but James can work his own magic on the papers when he fixes them," Nell grinned.

"Games!" Ricky giggled.

"No more stickers for you Ricky," Gabby smiled.

"Mommy King keep documents Ricky ruined?" Elena asked.

"Yes I will," Roland smiled. "And don't worry, Elena; Ricky didn't ruin them. He just made them more interesting. I've got a special folder I used to keep James and Amber's documents in. Sometimes they'd be with me in my study, and I'd give them papers and pencils to keep them quiet as I spoke to someone."

"Like Queen Elena said her mommy did with Isa?" Elena asked.

"That's right," Roland smiled. "I'll keep the documents Ricky put the stickers on in the folder as well. I'm sure Amber and James won't mind."

"Of course we won't!" Amber smiled, James nodding beside her.

"Games!" Ricky giggled, clapping his hands.

"You had enough mischief for today," James smirked, stroking his hair.

"Adorable mischief," Amber added, taking Ricky in her arms.

"Now, Ricky, how would you like to watch me fix the papers?" James continued, "You know you're welcome to play with my writing consultants."

"I think that's a good idea," Nell smiled. "And I'll be there to keep an eye on him too."

Ricky squealed and put a gold star on James' face. "Games!" he giggled.

"Well, Ricky does know a gold-star writer when he sees one!" Sofia giggled.

"Fia!" Ricky squealed.

"We stay with Ricky too so he not sad no more," Elena smiled.

"You thought he was sad?" Sofia asked.

"He miss us," Elena admitted as she and Gabby hugged Ricky.

"That's all right," Sofia smiled. "He's still getting used to you being gone for part of the day. But there's really nothing for him to be sad about. He's got Nell, Bobby Lee, and all of us here to keep him company and play with him until you come back from school."

"Even kitties?" Elena grinned.

"Even kitties," Nell smiled. "You two can stay but no mischief!"

"We be good!" Elena giggled.

"Yeah!" Gabby agreed.

"Okay, but I'll be watching you! And so will your kitty friends!" Nell grinned.


	32. Spies and friends

Chapter Thirty two: Spies and friends

Siblings: Amber and James.

Setting: Before chapter four of Amber's promise.

"Is that Felix's parents next to Mom and Dad?" James whispered, glancing towards where Roland and Miranda were.

"I think so," Amber muttered, seeing a baby in the queen of Martinstine's arms. "Aw. Look at the baby."

"He or she does look pretty cute," James smiled before clearing his throat. "We're supposed to hear about what happened to Sof, not get distracted."

"That's right," Amber shook her head to clear her thoughts. "And how often is it that Baileywick actually lets us listen in on someone's conversation?"

Holding back his own laughter, James nodded, knowing that Baileywick had caught them trying to hear what Roland, Miranda, and Felix's parents were saying. He had seen them listening at the door and started to lecture them, but James had held up a notebook, saying that he wanted to write down what was being said so they could share it with Sofia later. After all, the royal family of Martinstine was only there because Felix, and some of his friends, had severely beaten Sofia as she attempted to talk to them after Felix lost a Flying Derby race against her and James.

"Well, he said it was for a good reason we were spying on someone this time," James admitted as the visitors started speaking to Roland and Miranda.

"We wish our son would apologize to you for his actions but he refused," the king of Martinstine grumbled.

"I still can't believe that he did it all over a loss. We've taught Felix better than that," the queen of Martinstine added, holding her sleeping daughter in her arms.

"I'm sure you have Queen Charlotte and we're not blaming you or anyone else," Roland muttered. He sighed. "What happened to Sofia was an unfortunate circumstance. It'll be awhile before she fully recovers. Physically and emotionally."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Queen Charlotte asked. "We want to help Princess Sofia any way we can."

"So far, our royal sorcerer, Cedric, has created a magical doll that translates her moans so she can talk to us," Miranda began.

As they listened, Amber felt her eyes fill with tears. She hated that Sofia was in so much pain that she could only moan and use a doll to help her speak.

James squeezed her hand. "I know how you feel, Amber," he murmured. "But we don't know when Sof's going to be able to talk without the doll. But at least we can have a kind of conversation with her, and it's not exactly one-sided, right?"

Amber smiled a little. Cedric had said the same thing when he was explaining how the doll worked.

It sure made it easier for them all to talk to her.

"William and I wish Felix would've thought of something different instead of how he handled it," Queen Charlotte sighed. "We know he's been moody since Felicity was born two weeks ago but we thought it as nothing but sibling rivalry as he's been nice and helpful to her."

"It's no excuse," King William grumbled. "She was being a good sport, trying to congratulate him on a job well done, and Felix has to do something like this. He even got some of his friends to gang up on her!"

"We heard about that," Miranda murmured. She smiled as Roland squeezed her hand.

"How many was it again, Amber?" James whispered. "I know you don't want to remember it, but I know you're the one who found her, and I was too busy being worried about Sof to count how many others there were."

"Five others," Amber muttered.

"Five of them?" Roland asked in surprise, seeing the twins.

"Yes," Amber smiled weakly, glancing towards King William and Queen Charlotte and curtsied. "Good evening. My brother James and I apologize for eavesdropping."

"We just wanted to know what's going to happen, so we can tell Sofia about it," James explained, holding up his notebook. "We're sorry if we caused any trouble."

"Don't worry about a thing, Prince James," King William assured him. "You weren't the ones that were causing trouble."

Queen Charlotte smiled. "That's right. We know you want to help your sister, and you need to tell her what's going to happen to Felix and the others who hurt her."

"And how often is it that Baileywick actually gives them permission to eavesdrop?" Roland whispered, having seen Baileywick talk to James and Amber, then when James showed him his notebook, he smiled, nodded, and went on his way.

"Not very often," Miranda whispered with a smirk.

"Can I hold her?" Amber asked, seeing Felicity in Queen Charlotte's arms.

"Just be careful if she wakes up. Felicity tends to have a strong grip on whatever she sees first," Queen Charlotte smiled.

Felicity didn't wake up when Amber gently took her. She just let out a little coo as she was settled in Amber's arms and fell asleep again.

"At least she's a sound sleeper, so we can continue our talk," Roland smiled.

"Good idea," King William smiled. "Now, what else would you like to know?"

"Well, sir, if you don't mind me asking, what's going to happen to Felix and his friends now?" James asked.

"They'll be suspended for a month, in detention for the rest of the year, kicked off their school's flying derby, and have to write your sister an apology," King William explained. "We discussed it with your parents and the Royal Prep headmistresses and they agreed."

"But why didn't you ask Sofia for her opinion?" Amber asked. "She's the one affected by what happened."

"We know sweetheart but we thought it's what she would've wanted," Miranda muttered, stroking her hair.

"What about Felix's school? What did they say?" James asked.

"They wholeheartedly agreed with the punishment," Queen Charlotte replied. "And while they're in detention, they've been assigned to write essays about good sportsmanship, and how to behave around others, among other topics."

"It's going to be quite a punishment for Felix, that's for certain!" King William chuckled. "Felix has never liked writing essays, letters, or papers in his classes. Charlotte and I would always have to sit with him when he brought home a writing assignment, and he'd be at the kitchen table all night struggling with his work. We'd give him some help, of course, but Felix would finish the assignment."

"At least James never had that problem, he loves writing!" Roland whispered to Miranda, watching as James wrote down what Queen Charlotte and King William were saying.

Felicity awoke at the sound of her father's voice, seeing Amber's tiara.

"No it's not for you!" Amber giggled. "But I like your taste in people."

"What's the name of Felix's school?" James asked Charlotte as they observed the adorable scene of Felicity finally having Amber's tiara in her grasp.

"Southwind Preparatory Academy," Charlotte smiled. "They've only had their Flying Derby team for a few months, so of course they wouldn't be as familiar to you."

James nodded and wrote the school's name down. Now he knew which school he wanted to compete harder against, if he and Sofia ever faced the new Flying Derby team again...if Sofia ever rode on the Flying Derby team again!

"You look distressed," King William noted, seeing James' face when he looked up front his notebook.

"Sof will be traumatized because of what Felix did," James frowned. "If she ever steps into a stable again, the attack will be on her mind."

"We know," Charlotte agreed. "William and I had a long talk with Felix about that. We even made our own punishment."

"Oh, yes," William agreed. "Felix is being grounded for the rest of the year. He's not allowed to rejoin his school's Flying Derby team, and if he wants to be on one of our flying horses, someone has to be with him at all times."

"At least it's a start," Amber whispered to James, who nodded as he wrote that down.

Despite the serious conversation at hand, everyone couldn't help but smile and coo at Felicity having Amber's tiara over her eyes.

"It's too bad we can't get a picture of this," Charlotte smiled.

"I can draw it later if you like," Amber offered with a smile. "I'm great at making drawings about certain memories."

"That would be adorable, Princess Amber," Charlotte smiled.

"Speaking of memories, Amber and I, along with some of our friends, have been drawing pictures for Sof about some of her favorite memories," James agreed. "I made mine about the time I taught her to fly on my own horse when she first showed interest in joining Royal Prep's Flying Derby team." He paused and added, "At first I didn't want to make something that involved her being on a horse, but Mom and Dad told me that Sof needs positive memories of being on horses, and I need positive memories of teaching her."

"I've seen it, and it was wonderful," Amber smiled.

"That's a very charming idea," William smiled. "I'm sure Princess Sofia will love those."

"I haven't started on mine yet," Amber admitted. "But I'm getting there."

"King Roland, Queen Miranda, if it's okay with you, may Charlotte and I see Princess Sofia before we depart?" William asked, noticing Amber and James' smiles fading. "But we understand if the children don't want us too."

"Of course it's all right," Roland smiled.

"I don't mind..." James tried to keep a brave face on.

"I'm sure Sofia would love to see some new faces," Amber tried to smile again.

"Amber, James, it's going to be alright," Miranda murmured as she and Roland hugged them.

"I just don't want them to be scared when they hear the doll translating for Sofia's moans," Amber admitted. "I know James and I were scared when we first saw it and heard it speaking with Sofia's voice."

"Don't worry, Amber," Roland smiled. "We explained to them how Cedric made it for her, and they both showed interest in wanting to see how it worked."

Amber sighed in relief.

Sofia was how the family had left her before William, Charlotte, and Felicity's arrival. Asleep as she heard the queen of Martinstine gasp at the sight of the sling.

"That'll heal first," Roland assured her with a smile. "And luckily Felix didn't break it."

"Yet he kicked her," Amber grumbled.

"I heard," William frowned. "I'm going to have another long talk with Felix when we get home!"

He looked up in surprise when he heard a soft moan, followed by a voice that sounded like Sofia's. "Thank you, sir..."

"So that's how it works," Charlotte mused. "That's very clever."

"Yes, but we don't know how long Sof will need that doll to talk for her," James agreed, feeling his eyes fill with tears again. He hastily wiped them away, not wanting to cry in front of company.

"It won't be long," William hoped, squeezing his hand. "She'll speak when she's ready."

"You think so?" Amber asked.

"Princess Sofia is only trying to get her voice back," William assured with a smile. "She won't be like she is now forever."

Felicity glanced at Sofia and gently touched her face, cooing softly.

"Well, hello there," the doll spoke to her. "Thank you for coming to visit me."

Felicity squealed as she heard the doll talking to her, and even Charlotte smiled. "Yes, sweetheart, that helps Princess Sofia speak."

Felicity patted Sofia's face before resting on Amber's shoulder.

"Was the redness in Princess Sofia's face a result of what Felix and his friends did?" William asked worriedly.

"Yes," Amber murmured, "She was bleeding so much when I found her...excuse me..." she trailed off as she remembered how she first found Sofia after her attack.

"It's perfectly understandable," William murmured.

"I was so scared..." Amber whispered, hiding her face in her handkerchief. "Excuse me..."

"Amber, it's okay," James assured with a smile.

"It's not okay when we're with company," Amber sniffed.

A few tears went down her cheek as she was unsuccessful in wiping them away.

"It's all right, Amber," Miranda murmured as she pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. We'll all get through this together."

"I'm sorry," Amber whispered, "What kind of impression am I making for our guests?"

"Don't worry about it," Roland murmured, "This is an emotional time for all of us right now, and I think this can easily be forgiven."

"It is forgiven," Charlotte assured, stroking Sofia's hair. "King Roland, Queen Miranda May I speak with the twins for a moment?"

"Up you go Lissie," William smiled, taking his daughter in his arms before giving Amber back her slightly drooled on tiara.

"It's going to be okay, Amber," James whispered as Amber tried to compose herself again and William and Charlotte led them into the hall. "We've spoken to members of different royal families without Mom and Dad with us."

"I know, but I can't believe I was acting like that," Amber whispered back, discreetly trying to wipe the drool off her tiara.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Princess," Charlotte smiled. "You're worried about your sister, and it's perfectly normal to be sad or frightened. And if you have to cry, then cry."

"It's better for you to feel than conceal," William added, Felicity now asleep on his shoulder.

"I don't mean to take this the wrong way but I hate Felix!" Amber blurted out. "I hate what he's done to Sofia and why her face is so red!"

James just nodded quietly at her outburst. Clearly she had been concealing some fury because of what happened.

"Feelings of frustration and anger are normal too," William assured her. "I can't even begin to imagine how you must have felt when you saw him and his friends doing that."

"I did try to tell them to stop," Amber admitted.

"And you did the right thing," Charlotte smiled. "Felix and his friends just didn't listen. But you also did the right thing when you tried to get Sofia to safety."

"I did," Amber smiled. "Holding Sofia in my arms calmed me down a little for if I was scared then she would've been scared."

"She felt safe didn't she?" James asked, having only seen Sofia fast asleep from the pain in Miranda's arms on the ride home.

"She did seem to calm down when I was holding her and getting her to Mom and Dad," Amber admitted. "But nobody would let me see her when we got home and everyone started helping her."

"That's only because they wanted to help her," Charlotte reasoned, "They must have seen how upset you were when they first saw you, and they didn't want to make you feel worse."

"Mom and Dad let me see Sof as everyone got her cleaned up. She looked awful and kept softly screaming no as her flying derby clothes were being cut up," James recalled.

"You never told me that," Amber muttered.

"Nobody wanted to hurt her so it had to be done," James sighed.

"They were only trying to help her," Miranda said as she came out to check on them. "We only shooed you out so you wouldn't feel any worse than you already did. We also tried to help comfort you individually in your rooms later."

James nodded slowly. He remembered how Roland and Miranda had sat up with him as he worked on a story (and he promised not to write about what happened to Sofia; it was a story to cheer her up with), and how they had sang with him to calm him down. He remembered how he started crying, and so Roland and Miranda rocked him and comforted him, continuing the song until he fell asleep.

Amber nodded as she remembered how they had done the same with her when Sofia had finally fallen asleep.

"Your sister knows that you both love her so much," Charlotte smiled, patting Amber and James' shoulders. "To make it up to you two, I'll make her new flying derby clothes."

"You know how to sew?" Miranda asked in surprise.

"Charlotte made a whole closet full of clothes for Felicity while on bed rest!" William chuckled.

"Oh, yes," Charlotte smiled. "I remember making doll clothes when I was younger, and how much I loved doing that. Felicity's going to be as pretty as any doll when she wears them!"

"And I'm sure she'll love them as much as Sofia will love her new flying derby clothes," Miranda grinned; she loved sewing and making doll clothes with Sofia too.

"It won't be the same as her old pair but if she asks, it'll be coming from a mother's love," Charlotte smiled.

"Or make it less dull than her old one," Amber suggested.

"I'll try to make it the same as her old one, but I'll make it a little more sparkly," Charlotte smiled. "I made a few dresses like that for Felicity, and if there's one thing I loved when I made doll clothes, it was adding pretty sparkly things to them!"

"I'm sure Sofia will love it," Miranda smiled.

"Let me know if you need help, or if I can watch Felicity for you while you're working on it," Amber offered.

"I'd like to help too," Miranda offered.

"Though Felix has helped us with Felicity, it'd be nice for her to see some new friends," William smiled.

Felicity yawned, babbling a little before falling back asleep.

"Someone's up way passed her bedtime," Amber cooed, stroking her hair.

"Well, we'd better get this little one home so she can have a nap," William smiled.

Sofia moaned softly, and the doll said, "Thank you for coming to visit me."

"Of course, sweetheart," Charlotte smiled.

"Amber and James will escort you to your carriage while Roland and I get Sofia back to sleep," Miranda smiled. "She's been stubborn about rest if up for a little awhile."

"Felix can be like that sometimes," William smirked. "Only wish we had met because of better circumstances."

When they were at the carriage, Amber tried to keep herself composed again as she said, "Thank you for coming to visit us, and for telling us what's going to happen to Felix."

"And thank you both for having us," William smiled. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you after all that happened, but you were both wonderful."

"Thank you, King William," Amber smiled a little.

"Thank you," James echoed as he squeezed her hand.

"You're both welcome," Charlotte smiled, holding Felicity in her arms.

"Bye bye Felicity," Amber cooed.

"I never thought you of all people would like babies," James teased.

"You'd be surprised, James," Amber smirked, recalling the time he had been turned into a baby. She had never told him about that, and she never would, but it had been nice to hold a baby again. Amber smiled to herself as she recalled seeing Felicity wearing her tiara over her eyes.

"Anyway," James' smile faded a little, "I think we should get back inside. Sof needs all of us."

"So let's go check on her," Amber smiled, squeezing his hand. "And don't worry, James; we'll all get through this together."


End file.
